CMS Updates Medicare/Medicaid Meaningful Use Stats

More than 18,600 eligible professionals registered for the Medicare or Medicaid electronic health records program in December 2011, and 200 hospitals registered for both programs, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.


More than 18,600 eligible professionals registered for the Medicare or Medicaid electronic health records program in December 2011, and 200 hospitals registered for both programs, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

That brings the total registrations during 2011 to 124,089 EPs for Medicare meaningful use, 39,503 EPs for Medicaid, and 2,834 hospitals for both programs.

Medicaid’s 9,614 EP registrations in December eclipsed Medicare’s 8,996, reflecting that 43 states now have launched their Medicaid meaningful use programs and 33 have already paid incentives, according to a report submitted to the HIT Policy Committee on Jan. 10.

Through 2011, Medicare made $1.384 billion in meaningful use payments and Medicaid paid 1.149 billion, totaling nearly $2.534 billion. About 33,595 EPs had attested under the Medicare program with 99 percent successful. During 2011, 842 hospitals attested and all were successful.

Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments shot up from September on as providers became ready for Medicare attestation and Medicaid programs increasing became operational.