States Roll Out EHR Programs

The vast majority of states have provided a path for Medicaid providers to receive financial incentives for implementing electronic health records. Of those that have not -- 11 states plus the District of Columbia and several territories -- their ranks will thin further in December.

Registration for Medicaid incentives through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, opened last week in Arkansas, Delaware, Montana, New Jersey, New York and North Dakota, CMS announced. They joined 33 other states that had opened registration programs earlier this year.

Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota and Wyoming are expected to open registration in December, according to a CMS timeline.

Minnesota, Nebraska, Virginia and the District of Columbia expect to launch their registration programs in the first quarter of next year. New Hampshire and Nevada anticipate following in the second quarter, with Idaho predicting its rollout for September 2012.

CMS said it did not have projected launch dates yet for Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Medicaid EHR Incentive Program is administered state by state. Medical professionals must demonstrate that their EHRs meet meaningful-use standards to qualify for up to $63,750 in Medicaid incentives over a six-year period.