Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Medicaid Incentive Program begin?
Medicaid Eligible Providers (EPs) and Eligible Hospitals (EHs) may begin as early as 2011 or as late as 2016. The incentives end in 2021. The Incentive Programs are voluntarily offered by individual states. Medicare Eligible Providers (EPs) and Eligible Hospitals (EHs) can begin participating in the Incentive Program as early as 2011 or as late as 2014. The Incentives end in 2016.
What provider types are eligible?
A Medicaid Eligible Provider (EP) is defined as:
- A physician
- A nurse practitioner
- A certified nurse-midwife
- A dentist
- A physician assistant practicing in an Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or Rural Health Clinic (RHC) led by a physician assistant.
A Medicare Eligible Provider (EP) is defined as:
- A doctor of medicine or osteopathy
- A doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine
- A doctor of podiatric medicine
- A doctor of optometry
- A chiropractor
To qualify for an EHR incentive payment, Medicaid eligible hospitals must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be an acute care hospital, which includes Critical Access Hospitals, with at least 10% Medicaid patient volume
- Be a children’s hospital
- An eligible hospital for Medicare incentive payments is a “subsection (d) hospital” that is paid under the hospital inpatient prospective payment system. Critical Access Hospitals and Medicare Advantage Hospitals are also eligible. All hospitals must be located in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia.
When can I register and where do I register?
- Medicaid: More information will be made available later in the year; registration will begin starting in January 2011. Once the program begins a Registration web page will be available at http://cms.gov/EHrIncentivePrograms/ Eligible providers will be able to register at this site whether or not their state has initiated their program and CMS will pass their information along to the state once the state initiates their program.
- Medicare: Once the program begins a link on the Registration web page at http://cms.gov/EhrIncentivePrograms/ will be available. Hospitals and eligible professionals can register for the program starting in January 2011.
What do I need in order to register?
- All Medicare EPs and EHs will need to be enrolled in the Medicare Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS). Information regarding PECOS registration is available at http://www.cms.gov/MedicareProviderSupEnroll/
(Medicaid eligible professionals are not required to enroll in PECOS).
All providers will need a National Provider Identifier (NPI), a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN). Most will also need an active web user account in the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES).