The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 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. These incentive payments begin in 2011 and gradually decrease. Starting in 2015, providers are expected to have adopted and be actively utilizing a certified EHR in compliance with the “meaningful use” definition or they will be subject to financial penalties under Medicare.
The focus on meaningful use is a recognition that better health care does not come solely from the adoption of technology itself but through the exchange and use of health information to best inform clinical decisions at the point of care.
Generally speaking, for purposes of Meaningful Use, "eligible professional" is defined in the following ways:
Medicare
-
A physician as defined in section 1861(r) of the Social Security Act*, which includes the following five types of professionals:
-
Doctor of medicine or osteopathy
-
Doctor of dental surgery or medicine
-
Doctor of podiatric medicine
-
Doctor of optometry
-
Chiropractor
Medicaid
-
Physicians
-
Dentists
-
Certified nurse-midwives
-
Nurse practitioners
-
Physician assistants who are practicing in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) or Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) led by a physician assistant.
*For more information, please see the Social Security Act.
Over the next several months, CMS will be working closely with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and other parts of HHS to develop regulations that will govern the initial year of the incentives programs, including a definition of meaningful use for 2011. The proposed rule, with a 60-day period for public comment, is targeted for publication in late 2009.
Both the HIT Policy Committee and the HIT Standards Committee are providing recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information that will help CMS develop the initial criteria for meaningful use and assist in planning for any criteria expansion for the future incentive programs. More than 800 public comments were received on the HIT Policy Committee’s initial recommendations.
In addition, helpful input was provided at the April 28-29, 2009, hearing of the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics and at 21 listening sessions that CMS conducted in June.
