Electronic Health Record Adoption Incentives
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.
If you are an eligible professional or hospital in Arizona that is interested in applying for Medicaid incentive payments, please read thru the following links to see how you can apply.
Eligibility | Meaningful Use | Registration
Medicaid Eligible Professionals | Medicaid Eligible Hospitals
Eligibility for Individual Professionals - (EPs)
The incentives for eligible professionals are based on individual providers. Therefore, if you are part of a practice, each eligible professional may qualify for an incentive payment provided they successfully demonstrate meaningful use of a certified electronic health record. Each EP is only eligible for one incentive payment each year, regardless of how many practices or locations they provide services.
Eligibility for Hospitals
Both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs for hospitals are based on a Federal fiscal year. The amount of the incentives for each year is based on a number of factors, beginning with a $2 million base payment. The incentives are provided to the hospital, rather than the individual, as in the EHR incentive program for eligible professionals.
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs provide a financial reward for the meaningful use of qualified, certified EHRs to achieve health and efficiency goals. By implementing and meaningfully using an EHR system, providers will reap benefits beyond financial incentives - like reduction in errors, availability of records and data, reminders and alerts, clinical decision support and e-Prescribing/refill automation.
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive programs are slated to begin in early 2011. Registration is not available at this time. More information will be available in the coming months.
The Medicaid EHR incentive program will be administered by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System or AHCCCS, the state Medicaid program.
The incentives are based on the individual providers. Therefore, if you are part of a practice, each eligible professional may qualify for an incentive payment provided they meet the requirements for the program. Each EP is only eligible for one incentive payment each year, regardless of how many practices or locations they provide services.
Acute care hospitals (including Critical Access Hospitals) with at least 10% Medicaid patient volume, as well as children's hospitals (no Medicaid volume requirements) may be eligible for Medicaid EHR incentive payments.
Contact
For information about hospital and provider EHR incentives, contact:
Email: AzMedicaidHIT@azahcccs.gov
