States Gain Approval for EHR Provider Incentive Program - November 11, 2010

Two states – Tennessee and Wisconsin – have received full approval from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement their Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive program. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, states are eligible for a 90 percent federal match for administration activities and a 100 percent match for the incentive payments made to hospitals and providers. However, states must submit several implementation and planning documents to CMS and obtain approval before making incentive payments to hospitals and providers. Because Tennessee and Wisconsin have successfully accomplished this, they are now the first states with authority to provide incentive payments to providers who achieve meaningful use.