EHR Incentive Program Hospital and Physician Registration Opened Jan. 3 - January 4, 2011

On Jan. 3, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) opened registration for hospitals and physicians to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive program. Eligible hospitals and physicians that register will receive incentive payments and will avoid payment reductions that begin in 2015 for those providers that have not demonstrated “meaningful use” of EHR. Registration for the Medicaid EHR incentive program is now open for providers in the states that have already received approval from CMS to launch their incentive programs: Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Registration for the Medicaid EHR incentive program will open in California, Missouri, and North Dakota in February, and other states will follow later this year. In addition, providers in all states may now register for the Medicare EHR incentive program.