Government
Medicare halts portion of EHR bonus demo
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 27, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will discontinue phase II of its electronic health records demonstration that was to launch in mid-2010, the agency announced April 7.
The agency will continue with phase I implementation, including local kick-off meetings in May 2009 for more than 400 physician practices selected to receive Medicare EHR incentives. CMS made its decision to change its plans for the demonstration after the recent enactment of the federal stimulus package, which authorizes its own set of Medicare incentives for physicians who adopt paperless records systems.
Five-year phase I demonstration operations will begin on June 1 and include four sites: Louisiana; southwest Pennsylvania; South Dakota and selected counties in bordering states; and Maryland and the District of Columbia. Phase II would have included an additional eight sites. More information is available online (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/04/27/gvbf0427.htm.
