Incentive Payments through the Medicare and Medicare programs will be available to eligible professionals and hospitals that demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology.
Eligibility for incentive payments follow the following process:
1. Determine eligibility for Medicare or Medicaid Incentive Payments
Medicare
- Eligible Professionals can receive up to $44,000 over five years
- Eligible Professionals include MDs, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists, and chiropractors
- Eligible Professionals that do not implement certified electronic health records by 2015 will have their Medicare claim payments reduced.
For more information about the Medicare Incentive Program, visit www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms.
Medicaid
- Eligible Professionals can receive up to $63,750 over six years
- Eligible Professionals include MDs, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, dentists, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, physician assistants in a Rural Health Clinic or Federally Qualified Health Center
- Eligible Professionals must have a 30% Medicaid caseload unless a pediatrician who only needs a 20% Medicaid caseload.
To learn more about the Medicaid Incentive Program, visit www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms or https://www.medicaid.state.ar.us/InternetSolution/Provider/ehr/overview.aspx#ehr.
Eligible hospitals and Critical Access/Rural Hospitals (CAH's) qualify for incentive payments if they demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
2. Register with Medicare or Medicaid
Registration for the Medicare Incentive Program is open. However, registration for the Medicaid program will not be available until November 7, 2011.
3. Adopt, Implement or Upgrade Certified EHR Technology
To receive incentive payments, health care providers must adopt, implement or upgrade certified electronic health records systems and achieve meaningful use. To achieve this, providers may work with the Arkansas Regional Extension Center (HITArkansas) or can upgrade or purchase a certified electronic health record system on their own.
To learn more about services offered through HITArkansas, visit www.hitarkansas.org. Providers wishing to adopt, implement or upgrade an electronic health records system on their own can visit the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) to learn which electronic health systems and modules have been tested and certified by the Office of the National Coordinator. For more information visit, http://onc-chpl.com/ehrcert
4. Train HIT Workforce
National Park Community College in Hot Springs, AR is training a health IT workforce to help providers adopt and use electronic health records.
To learn more about the program, visit http://www.npcc.edu/community/healthIT.htm
5. Attest
To get electronic health record incentive payments, eligible professionals and hospitals must attest (legally state) that they have demonstrated "meaningful use" with certified electronic health record technology.
Medicare Attestation
Attestation can be done through Medicare's secure website. More information can be found at http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/32_Attestation.asp#TopofPage.
Medicaid Attestation
Arkansas Medicaid has announced that registration will be open on November 7. Eligible Professionals and hospitals may attest to adopt, implement or upgrade on November 8. Assuming providers meet all of the criteria for payment, payments could begin as early as November 17.
More information can be found on the Medicaid website at http://www.medicaid.state.ar.us/InternetSolution/Provider/ehr/professionals.aspx#attest
6. Connect to SHARE
SHARE will help facilitate the sharing of electronic health information among providers and help providers meet meaningful use requirements. SHARE will be implemented in a series of phases.
Phase I of SHARE will utilize secure messaging to facilitate meaningful use requirements.
Phase II of SHARE and beyond will evolve into a fully scaled and interoperable health information exchange. The benefits of SHARE will include accurate and timely patient health care information, reduce duplicate tests and reduce medical errors. Additional benefits to the patient include access to their health information to promote patient involvement in their health care.
More resources on achieving Meaningful Use can be found in the links below.
Medicaid EHR Registration User Guide
Medicaid and Medicare Registration and Attestation Tutorial
Ready Set SHARE