EMR / EHR Government Meaningful Use Incentives Information | medicalrecords.com
The HITECH Act specifies that physicians can qualify for $44,000 or more in economic stimulus incentives for adopting and implementing a Certified EHR. The government allocated $27 billion dollars to help doctors transition from paper medical records to electronic medical records (EMR) systems.
Incentives are paid per provider.
Each practitioner in your medical practice can qualify for $44,000 in Medicare Incentives or $63,750 in Medicaid Incentives.
Medicare EHR Incentive Payment Schedule
| Year of adoption | Incentive payout over time | |||
| Payment Amount for 2011 | $18,000 | |||
| Payment Amount for 2012 | $12,000 | $18,000 | ||
| Payment Amount for 2013 | $8,000 | $12,000 | $15,000 | |
| Payment Amount for 2014 | $4,000 | $8,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Payment Amount for 2015 | $2,000 | $4,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 |
| Payment Amount for 2016 | $2,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 | |
| Total Payment Amount | $44,000 | $44,000 | $39,000 | $24,000 |
Medicaid EHR Incentive Payment Schedule
| Year | Incentive payout over time | |||||
| 2011 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 2012 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 2013 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 2014 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| 2015 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 |
| 2016 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 |
| 2017 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 |
| 2018 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 |
| 2019 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 |
| 2020 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 |
| 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 |
| Total | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 |
Types of Eligible Health Care Providers
| Hospitals Skilled nursing facilities Nursing facilities Home health entities Long term care facilities Health care clinics Community mental health centers Renal dialysis facilities Blood centers Ambulatory surgical centers | Emergency medical service providers Federally qualified health centers (FQHC) Group practices Pharmacists Laboratories Physicians Practitioners Indian Health Service providers Rural health clinics Therapists |
Who can qualify
Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy
Doctor of Dental Surgery or Dental Medicine
Doctor of Podiatry
Doctor of Optometry
Chiropractor
What are the patient volume requirements necessary to qualify?
In order to qualify for an incentive payment under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, eligible providers must meet one of the following criteria:
- Have a minimum of 30%of their patient volume derived from Medicaid
- Have a minimum of 20% of their patient volume derived from Medicaid and be a pediatrician
- Practice predominantly (more than 50% of clinical services) in an FQHC or rural health clinic (RHC) and have a minimum of 30% of their patient volume attributable to needy individuals
Qualifying geographic locations
| All 50 US States District of Columbia Puerto Rico The Virgin Islands | Guam American Samoa The Northern Mariana Islands |
Important dates to remember
| October 1, 2010 – Reporting year begins for eligible hospitals and CAHs. | |
| January 1, 2011 – Reporting year begins for eligible professionals. | |
| January 3, 2011 – Registration for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program begins. | |
| January 3, 2011 – For Medicaid providers, states may launch their programs if they so choose. | |
| April 2011 – Attestation for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program begins. | |
| May 2011 – EHR Incentive Payments expected to begin. | |
| July 3, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals to begin their 90-day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. | |
| September 30, 2011 – Last day of the federal fiscal year. Reporting year ends for eligible hospitals and CAHs. | |
| October 1, 2011 – Last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90-day reporting period for calendar year 2011 for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. | |
| November 30, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals to register and attest to receive an Incentive Payment for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2011. | |
| December 31, 2011 – Reporting year ends for eligible professionals. | |
| February 29, 2012 – Last day for eligible professionals to register and attest to receive an Incentive Payment for calendar year (CY) 2011. |