Upfront costs of going digital overwhelm some doctors

Dr. Oliver Korshin practices ophthalmology three days a week in the same small office in east Anchorage, Alaska, he's had for three decades. Many of his patients have aged into their Medicare years right along with him. For his tiny practice, which employs just one part-time nurse, putting all his patients' medical records in an online database just doesn't make sense, Korshin says. It would cost too much to install and maintain — especially considering that he expects to retire in just a few years. But starting next year the federal government will penalize Korshin and other doctors for not using electronic health records; Medicare will withhold 1 percent of his payments.