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MU Payments Yield $75M Payday for EHR Participants

 |  By Margaret@example.com  
   May 27, 2011

Healthcare providers have collected $75 million in incentive payments by demonstrating meaningful use of electronic health records, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday.

The first round of payments rewarded providers who signed up in the first two weeks of the Medicare EHR incentive program and successfully attested to meeting the Stage One requirements for meaningful use, including complying with program requirements for a continuous 90-day reporting period.


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The incentives were established by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 to reward hospitals and physicians that use certified EHR technology in ways that improve the quality, safety, and effectiveness of patient-centered care.

CMS officially released on Thursday information about the more than 300 hospitals and physicians that received the incentive payments. Award amounts were not included. The list includes:

 

  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston, Mass.)
  • Bender Medical Group (Ft. Collins, Colo.)
  • El Paso Heart Center (El Paso, Texas)
  • Hewitt Medical Group (Bakersfield, Calif.)
  • Northshore University Health System (Evanston, Ill.)
  • Regents of the University of California (Sacramento, Calif.)
  • Wellmont Cardiology Services (Kingsport, Tenn.)

 

Medicare EHR incentive program payments will continue to be made on a monthly basis.

The maximum first-year incentive payment for eligible professionals is $18,000. Hospital payments are based on several factors but begin with a $2 million base.

In their second year and subsequent years of participation in the program, providers must demonstrate meaningful use based on a full year reporting period.


Intelligence Report E-Health Systems: Opportunities and Obstacles FREE DOWNLOAD.


Including the $83.3 million in incentive paid for the Medicaid EHR program, CMS has now distributed $158.3 million in incentives. The Medicaid incentives were distributed to eligible professionals and hospitals between Jan. 3 and April 29, 2011 by state Medicaid EHR incentive programs.

See Also:
CHIME to Feds: Delay Meaningful Use Stage 2
In Meaningful Use Reports, Quality Matters

 

Margaret Dick Tocknell is a reporter/editor with HealthLeaders Media.
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