HHS Names EHR Demo Participants

HDM Breaking News, June 12, 2008

The Department of Health and Human Services has named 12 states or communities that will participate in a five-year demonstration program to provide incentive payments to physicians using electronic health records systems.

HHS will provide incentives--and bonus payments based on the number of EHR functions a practice is using--to as many as 1,200 physicians in the selected communities. Total payments under the demonstration program could reach $58,000 per physician or $290,000 per practice, according to HHS.

The states and communities will work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to recruit physicians, with efforts starting this fall in four communities and starting in 2009 with the others.

More than 30 states and communities applied for participation in the demonstration project. The selected 12 are: Alabama; Delaware, Jacksonville, Fla. (multi-county); Georgia; Maine; Louisiana; Maryland/Washington D.C.; Oklahoma; Pittsburgh (multi-county); South Dakota (multi-state); Virginia; and Madison, Wis. (multi-county).

The selected sites demonstrated collaboration among stakeholders during the application process. Federal officials encourage applicants not selected to continue their collaborative efforts and design independent incentive programs.

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:

• Electronic Health Records
• Practice Management
• Revenue Cycle Management
• Group Practices
• Payers