Four more states recently opened registration for Medicaid incentive payments under the meaningful use program, joining 23 states with programs already under way, Modern Healthcare reports.
Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
The four states that recently launched their programs are:
- Florida;
- Georgia;
- Illinois; and
- Oregon.
Jessica Kahn -- technical director of CMS' Center for Medicaid, CHIP, and Survey and Certification -- said of the 27 states with operational programs, 17 are making payments to health care providers for the meaningful use of EHRs.
Between January and August, about $389 million in Medicaid meaningful use payments was distributed to 118 hospitals, and 1,297 physicians, nurse practitioners and other eligible professionals, according to Kahn.
Though CMS' original expectation was that Medicaid EHR payment programs would be operational in all U.S. states and territories in 2011, Kahn said there might be three or four states and a few territories that do not have their programs in place by the end of the year. She added that all programs should be functioning by spring of 2012 (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 9/16).