Overview

The Official Web Site for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs

This official web site provides up-to-date, detailed information about the Electronic Health Record (EHR) incentive programs. Use the tabs to the left to find additional information regarding various aspects of the program.

Background

The nation’s healthcare system is undergoing a transformation in an effort to improve quality, safety and efficiency of care, from the upgrade to ICD-10 to information exchanges of EHR technology.   To help facilitate this vision, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or the "HITECH Act" established programs under Medicare and Medicaid to provide incentive payments for the "meaningful use" of certified EHR technology.  The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they  adopt, implement, upgrade or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.  The programs begin in 2011. These incentive programs are designed to support providers in this period of Health IT transition and instill the use of EHRs in meaningful ways to help our nation to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of patient health care.

NOTE: This is a new program, and it is separate from other active CMS incentive programs, such as Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update (RHQDAPU) and e-Prescribing.

Establishing the New Program

CMS is establishing the EHR Incentive program through formal rule making. A proposed rule on the EHR incentive programs (and the definition of meaningful use) was published, and CMS accepted public comments for 60 days, which ended on March 15, 2010. More than 2,000 comments were received. CMS published the final rule on July 28, 2010. This rule provides many of the parameters and requirements for the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. A copy of the final rule and related documents is accessible below.

CMS’ Role in Other HITECH Areas

CMS also worked with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in developing standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHR technology. More information on certification can be found in the tab on the left.  

Patient privacy and security is an important consideration in implementing the EHR incentive programs. CMS is also working with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and ONC to address the privacy and security protections under HITECH Act. More information on privacy and security related to the Health IT is available by clicking "Health IT/Privacy and Security" and "HHS Office for Civil Rights" in the Related Links Outside CMS section below.

Downloads
EHR Incentive Program Timeline [PDF 422KB] Medicaid Provisions of the EHR Incentive Program [PDF 280KB] Medicaid Questions on the EHR Incentive Program (8/5/10) [PDF 248KB] Contact Information for EHR Incentive Program Inquiries [PDF, 110KB]
Related Links Inside CMS
Fact Sheet: Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs: Title IV of Recovery Act (June 16, 2009) Press Release: CMS and ONC Final Rules to Support Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records (July 13, 2010) Fact Sheet: Final Regulations Define Meaningful Use and Set Standards for EHR Incentive Programs (July 13, 2010) Fact Sheet: Electronic Health Records At-a-Glance (July 13, 2010) Fact Sheet: Medicare EHR Incentive Program Final Rule Overview (July 16, 2010) Fact Sheet: Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Final Rule Overview (July 16, 2010) Fact Sheet: Meaningful Use Final Rule Overview (July 16, 2010) Health IT Frequently Asked Questions
Related Links Outside CMS
Video on EHR Incentive Program Basics CMS Final Rule Published Through Federal Register (July 28, 2010) [PDF, 14MB] HHS/Office of National Coordinator Health IT Web Site Health IT/Privacy and Security HHS Office for Civil Rights

Page Last Modified: 08/20/2010 2:45:21 PM
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