The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) established programs under Medicare and Medicaid to provide incentive payments for the "meaningful use" of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology beginning in 2011. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they adopt, implement, upgrade, or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. The programs begin in 2011 and are designed to support providers in this period of health information technology (HIT) transition, and instill the use of EHRs in meaningful ways to help our nation to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient health care.
NOTE: This is a new program, and it is separate from other active CMS incentive programs, such as Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update (RHQDAPU) and e-prescribing.
Meaningful Use Resources
The Official Web Site for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs
Check here for up-to-date, detailed information about the EHR incentive programs. This resource includes fact sheets, frequently asked questions, eligibility requirements, and much more. Use the tabs to the left to find additional information regarding various aspects of the program.
CMS Frequently Asked Questions about Electronic Health Records
Frequently updated FAQ about the CMS EHR Incentive Programs.
Eligible Professional Flow Chart
This flow chart is designed to help providers determine their eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
ONC Certified Health IT Product List
The Certified HIT Product List (CHPL) provides the authoritative, comprehensive listing of Complete EHRs and EHR Modules that have been tested and certified under the Temporary Certification Program maintained by the Office of the National Coordinator for HIT (ONC). Each product listed has been certified by an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) and reported to ONC. Only the product versions that are included on the CHPL are certified under the ONC Temporary Certification Program. Please note that the CHPL is a “snapshot” of the current list of certified products. The CHPL is updated frequently as newly certified products are reported to ONC.
Calculate Estimated Incentive Payment
HIMSS Medicare Interactive Calculator
This resource calculates estimated stimulus payments per provider under Medicare based on annual Medicare Part B and year of EHR adoption. This tool is provided for informational purposes only and none of its content should be construed as legal or financial advice. It is strongly encouraged to independently consult with legal counsel. The HIMSS calculator is built using language found in Section 4201 of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. Visit our Economic Stimulus landing page for comprehensive information.
Medicare Eligible Professional EHR Incentive Calculator
This calculator uses the number of providers in the practice, average number of patients, number of patients that are Medicare, average submitted allowable per Medicare patient, working days per year, and EHR adoption year to estimate incentive payments.
Worksheet/Templates
Meaningful Use Dashboard
A template for capturing monthly trending of compliance to EHR Meaningful Use at both the individual provider level and the aggregate practice level, which enables practices and individual providers to track their performance relative to meaningful use standards.