Healthcare providers who are planning on participating in the government's electronic health records incentive program will soon be able to complete their attestation and begin receiving payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The agency recently announced that the attestation process will begin on April 18, ending months of anticipation among providers who are eager to complete the process and take advantage of the Medicare incentive program, which pay doctors for the meaningful use of electronic health records.
To finish their attestation, providers must confirm through the CMS website that they are using the technology to meet 15 core measures of meaningful use and five further measures from a menu of 10. The process requires them to provide evidence of how they are using electronic health records.
Doing so could result in significant incentive payments. As part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Congress set aside billions of dollars to help medical professionals with their transition to an electronic system. Practices are eligible for up to $44,000 through the Medicare incentive program.
The agency noted that the requirements for hospitals, private practices and other providers are often different, and individuals who are considering applying to the programs and completing attestation should review the requirements and make sure that they are ready to qualify for the program. Once they are sure they are ready, providers can complete the process on the CMS website.
While the Medicare incentive program is just starting to gear up, the Medicaid electronic health records incentive program is already humming along. Earlier this week, CMS officials announced via their Twitter account that the agency has already paid out $37.6 million to Medicaid providers who are using electronic health records.
Under the Medicaid incentive program, eligible professionals may receive up to $66,000 to help offset the cost of adopting an electronic health records system. Since the program is ultimately administered through state Medicaid authorities, the actual date that providers can begin accepting their incentive payments may vary by location.
The announcements may serve to reassure medical professionals that their investments will soon pay off. It may have been a long road getting to this point, but the fruits of the labor of several government agencies may soon start paying off.