HITECH EHR Stimulus

$44,000 in HITECH Incentives
On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Under the stimulus plan, physicians can qualify for $44,000 in Medicare incentives through HITECH if they demonstrate “meaningful use” of an Electronic Health Record starting in 2011.

Meaningful use and certification
The definition of “meaningful use” is still being developed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT), but it is likely to include e-prescribing, chart sharing and quality of care measurements. Your EHR system should be ONCHIT compliant and support meaningful use criteria.

You may qualify for even more
Practices with 30% or more of their patient population paying with Medicaid (20% for pediatricians) are eligible for HITECH incentive payments of up to $65,000. Practices operating in a "health provider shortage area" (HPSA) can qualify for bonus incentives. e-prescribe, Medicare’s physician quality reporting initiative (PQRI) and Medicare Care Manage Performance (MCMP) can also increase your bonuses

FQHC stands for Federally Qualified Health Centers

Under the HITECH Act – part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) – medical providers who implement EMRs and meet HHS "Meaningful Use" criteria can receive incentives.

HITECH incentives are paid on a per provider basis. For example, a practice with two physicians and a nurse practitioner using an EHR could qualify for $132,000 in Medicare incentives.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA – start on page 114) details that the following all qualify for HITECH incentives:

The following types of practices can all qualify for $44,000 or more in HITECH stimulus incentives according to the definitions in the Social Security Act, section 1861(r):

• Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy – M.D. or D.O.
• Doctor of Dental Surgery or Medicine – D.D.S or D.D.M
• Doctor of Podiatric Medicine – D.P.M.