On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law a $789 billion dollar economic stimulus package, formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA. Included in ARRA legislation is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. HITECH allocates $19 billion to hospitals and physicians who demonstrate “meaningful use”of electronic health records (EHRs).
Your behavioral healthcare agency is eligible for up to $63,750 of incentives per eligible provider.
What you need to know
• You can qualify for meaningful use dollars, even if you do not run a hospital or primary care office.
• Qualifacts contractually commits to meeting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services standards for “Certified EHR” as used in the ARRA.
• Qualifacts will directly support you in demonstrating meaningful use.
• Reimbursement incentives can completely cover your investment in CareLogic Enterprise.
Reimbursement Incentives
In 2011 the government will begin incentivizing Medicare and Medicaid providers to adopt EHRs and electronic prescribing.
For Medicare/Medicaid, you must implement a “certified” EHR and then demonstrate meaningful use. The reimbursement is 75% of billed Medicare OR Medicaid services up to a yearly cap. The e-prescribing program also includes bonuses and penalties tied to Medicare reimbursement rates and requires a certain percentage of all prescriptions to be performed through electronic means. The following tables illustrate these incentives:
|
Year of Adoption
|
Medicare HITECH
incentive payout over time
|
|||
|
2011
|
$18,000
|
|
|
|
|
2012
|
$12,000
|
$18,000
|
|
|
|
2013
|
$
8,000
|
$12,000
|
$15,000
|
|
|
2014
|
$
4,000
|
$
8,000
|
$12,000
|
$12,000
|
|
2015
|
$
2,000
|
$
4,000
|
$
8,000
|
$
8,000
|
|
2016
|
|
$
2,000
|
$
4,000
|
$
8,000
|
|
TOTAL
|
$44,000
|
$44,000
|
$39,000
|
$24,000
|
|
Year of Adoption
|
Medicaid HITECH
incentive payout over time
|
No adoption
|
|||||
|
2011
|
$21,250
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2012
|
$8,500
|
$21,250
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2013
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$21,250
|
|
|
|
|
|
2014
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$21,250
|
|
|
|
|
2015
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$21,250
|
|
1% penalty
|
|
2016
|
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$21,250
|
2% penalty
|
|
2017
|
|
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
3% penalty
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
|
$8,500
|
$8,500
|
|
|
2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
$8,500
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
$63,750
|
$63,750
|
$63,750
|
$63,750
|
$63,750
|
$63,750
|
|
Want more information? Click HERE to contact Qualifacts now.
Resources:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:
Official web site for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs
Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC):
Certification Programs
Meaningful Use
Meaningful Use:
Final rule summary
