MEDICARE NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Four states issue first Medicaid incentive payments
Contact: CMS Office Media Affairs February 23, 2011 (202) 690-6145
More than 21,000 providers initiated registration for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs in January and four states reported initial Medicaid incentive payments totaling $20,425,550, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced today. In addition, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced that as of Feb. 11, 2011, more than 45,000 providers requested information or registration help from 62 Regional Extension Centers (RECs).
RECs provide hands-on support for providers who want to adopt and become meaningful users of electronic health information technology. This early interest in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR programs reveals strong support for these programs that will advance health care through improvements in patient safety, quality of care, and patient involvement in treatment options. Eligible professionals and hospitals must register in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs.
Registration opened on Jan. 3, 2011, at http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/20_RegistrationandAttestation.asp.
For the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, providers will follow a similar process using their state’s attestation system. Check here to see states’ scheduled launch dates for their Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs: http://www.cms.gov/apps/files/medicaid-HIT-sites/.
For more information on the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, visit http://www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms/.
For more information on ONC’s health information technology activities, visit www.healthit.gov/.
