77,000 Early Adopters to CMS’s EHR Incentive Program Exceed Requirements, Reflecting Value to Patients and Providers

August 2011, Vol 2, No 5

Approximately 77,000 healthcare providers have already registered by July of this year with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the electronic health records (EHRs) program. CMS is collecting data on early adopters to the EHR incentive program, which will begin in 2014 but is requiring providers to meet the first stage of “meaningful use” much sooner. By registering with the incentive program, the providers or clinical centers indicate that they meet the first set of requirements associated with instituting an EHR system. CMS has found that clinicians are using the EHR system for a higher proportion of their patients than is required by the program, suggesting that the value in instituting such a program is more than just the anticipated reimbursement. So far 21 states have launched the Medicaid EHR program, with the most recent 4—Arizona, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and West Virginia— registering in July 2011.

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