Government Electronic Health Record (EHR) Stimulus Program, the HITECH Act. Contained within the center are the basic resources providers need to qualify for up to $44,000 or more in EHR Stimulus incentives. The center is updated regularly and addresses physicians' most pressing stimulus concerns regarding eligibility, financial incentives, and
meaningful EMR use. Visit the
CMS Eligibility Tool for a rapid assessment of your likely eligibility.
EHR incentive payments in just
five minutes.What do ARRA, HITECH and ONC mean?
ARRA is the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, more widely known as the Stimulus Bill of 2008. One of the provisions of this legislation was the
Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health(HITECH) Act.HITECH authorizes the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to issue annual payments to eligible providers who demonstrate
Meaningful Use of a
certified electronic health record. Further, HITECH authorized significant funds for the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC or ONCHIT).The
ONC is tasked with implementing many elements of HITECH including creating technology standards, designating Meaningful Use criteria and certifying EHR vendors. How can I use EHR / EMR stimulus funding?CMS will pay
HITECH incentives on a per provider basis through either Medicare or Medicaid to offset the cost of
EHRadoption. Eligible physicians can individually qualify for up to $44,000 or more in economic stimulus incentives. A practice of three physicians could qualify for $132,000 or more. Physicians adopting a free EHR may use stimulus incentives at their discretion if they demonstrate
Meaningful Use on a certified EHR.What types of health care providers can qualify for HITECH incentives?
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA – start on page 114) details that the following all qualify for HITECH incentives: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 (See below)
Practitioners (See below)
Indian Health Service providers
Rural health clinics
Therapists Who is an Eligible Professional under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program?
Eligible professionals under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program include:Doctor of medicine or osteopathy
Doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine
Doctor of podiatry
Doctor of optometry
Chiropractor
Eligible professionals under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program include:
Physicians (primarily doctors of medicine and doctors of osteopathy)
Nurse practitioner
Certified nurse-midwife
Dentist
Physician assistant who furnishes services in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Clinic that is led by a physician assistant
To qualify for an incentive payment under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, an eligible professional must meet one of the following criteria:
Have a minimum 30% Medicaid patient volume*
Have a minimum 20% Medicaid patient volume, and is a pediatrician*
Practice predominantly in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Center and have a minimum 30% patient volume attributable to needy individuals
* Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) patients do not count toward the Medicaid patient volume criteria. Which geographic areas qualify for HITECH incentives?
ARRA specifies the following regions and territories as qualifying for HITECH incentives:
All 50 US states
The District of Columbia
Puerto Rico
The Virgin Islands
Guam
American Samoa
The Northern Mariana Islands What types of medical practices do not qualify for HITECH incentives?
The following types of practices do not qualify for incentives based on our current understanding of the program:
Free clinics that don’t bill Medicare or Medicaid
Physical therapists
Hospital-based physicians such as pathologists, anesthesiologists or emergency physicians
Acupuncturists and other holistic providers
Any practice not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid payments
