Electronic Health Record Incentive Program (“Meaningful Use”)

Background on CMS Electronic Health Record Incentive Program

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides detailed information on the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program requirements, as well as helpful answers to frequently asked questions, on their web page at http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/. The final rule can be accessed at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-17207.pdf.

Both Medicare and Medicaid offer financial incentives to providers and hospitals that implement or enhance EHR systems and meet criteria to demonstrate their meaningful use. Specific requirements and timeframes are provided in the regulations. Implementation and effective use of Certified EHR technology is a step toward reforming the health care system and improving health care quality, efficiency, and patient safety.

Based on public stakeholder feedback, CMS is using a staged approach to requiring the demonstration of meaningful use of EHR. Three phases are expected, but only the stage 1 requirements have been published to date. Stage 1 includes a set of core objectives to demonstrate meaningful use of EHR, as well as a menu set. Providers must meet all the core objectives as well as five items from the menu set, including at least one of the public health-related objectives. This requirement to address at least one of the public health meaningful use objectives is addressed in the final rule on p. 44328, column 2, paragraph 1 (see http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-17207.pdf).

Georgia Medicaid Provider Incentive Program

The Medicaid Provider Incentive Program in Georgia will be administered by the Department of Community Health. The State Medicaid Health Information Technology Plan is awaiting approval by CMS. Information can be located on the Department of Community Health website: http://dch.georgia.gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,31446711_74210664,00.html.