HHS announces 12 communities selected to advance use of EHRs

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has named 12 communities that will participate in a national Medicare demonstration project that provides incentive payments to physicians for using certified electronic health records. The communities selected to work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the EHR demonstration project range from county- and state- level to multi-state collaborations. The communities were selected because they demonstrated active collaboration among stakeholders; existing or planned private sector initiatives related to health information technology and quality reporting; and adequate size to recruit a sufficient number of primary care physician practices, according to an HHS release.