Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health

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On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act into law. This act represents a possible $44,000 in stimulus money plus additional reimbursements available for early adopters.

What are the different incentive options?

There are two incentive payment programs outlined under the HITECH Act – one through Medicare and another from Medicaid. Providers can only submit for payment of an incentive bonus from one of the programs, so you will need to analyze your organization’s public payer mix to determine where you stand to benefit most. Both require that a provider prove “meaningful use” of an EHR product to qualify for the incentives, as well.

How does the bill define adequate EMR utilization? What does “meaningful use” actually mean?

“Meaningful Use” is defined in three ways in the Bill:

• Use of a certified product complete with ePrescribing capability as determined appropriate by the Secretary of HHS
• The EHR technology is connected for the electronic exchange of PHI
• Complies with submission of reports on clinical quality measures

However, given the vague terms used in the statutory language, it is clear that Meaningful Use requires further definition. ONC released a set of recommendations related to Meaningful Use in August and passed them to CMS who has responsibility for drafting the official rules by December 2009. There will be an opportunity for public comment in early 2010, and the final rule is expected by mid-Spring.

For full details visit the Allscripts stimulus center.

E-Prescribing & PQRI

In additional to $44,000 in stimulus money, physicians can receive an extra 4% Medicare reimbursement for E-Prescribing and by participating in the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI), bringing the total value of the current incentives up to $72,000+ per provider.