On the Road to Meaningful Use

 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide reimbursement incentives for eligible professionals and hospitals who are successful in becoming "meaningful users" of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology.

 

CHCA anticipates that our members and other Federally Qualified Health Center Organizations will qualify for incentives under the Medicaid program, which requires that a minimum of 30% of patients served by an eligible provider must be Medicaid beneficiaries or, in the case of providers working within an FQHC, be deemed "needy individuals," defined in the ARRA legislation as those uninsured individuals who receive uncompensated care or for whom providers offer a sliding-fee discount for services based upon their income.

 

On December 30, 2009, CMS announced a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to implement provisions of the Recovery Act that provide incentive payments for the meaningful use of certified EHR technology.

 

Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) / Florida Medicaid:

It is important for all members to understand the role that Florida Medicaid / AHCA will play in distributing the Medicaid incentive dollars for adoption of EHR and the meaningful use of advanced Health Information Technology. While federal legislation is key, states may add additional requirements and reporting guidelines above and beyond the federal mandate for Medicaid incentives.

 

We are monitoring ongoing developments, as the State has begun drafting legislation for the upcoming session that will further refine "meaningful use" within Florida and how / when incentives will be allocated to providers. CHCA is working with multiple governmental consultants and other stakeholders to help ensure the voice of FQHC providers is heard as this moves forward.