Starting on January 3rd, 2011, registration for the HITECH Electronic Health Record Medicare Incentive Payments will open. This registration is available for both eligible professionals and eligible hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals. The registration link will be available starting on January 3rd and can be accessed here. Registration for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Payments will be available for the following states: Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. In February, registration will likely open in California, Missouri, and North Dakota. It is anticipated that other states, including Washington, will launch their Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs during the spring and summer of 2011.
For mor information regarding the Medicare Incentive Payments see the CMS press release. For a general overview of the HITECH incentive payments please read our previous blog posts for physicians and hospitals. As a disclaimer, these blog posts were written prior to the issuance of the Final Rules but provide a good overview of the statutory requirements.
CMS has also issued tip sheet regarding Stage 1 Meaningful Use for hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals, click here to access the tip sheet. The tip sheet for eligible professionals can be accessed here. Additional information may be obtained by contacting CMS or your State directly (CMS and State Medicaid Contact List & Information).
If you would like further information regarding achieving Meaningful Use, registering for the Medicare Incentive Payments, or assistance calculating the Medicare or Medicaid incentive payments please contact Dave Schoolcraft or Elana Zana.
