Government
Iowa Medicaid first to receive federal EMR stimulus money
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 21, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Nov. 23 that Iowa's Medicaid program is the first to receive federal matching funds for implementing the electronic medical record incentive program established by the economic stimulus package.
Iowa received $1.16 million in federal matching funds. As part of the stimulus package, the federal government is projected to spend more than $35 billion on Medicare and Medicaid bonuses over the next decade to physician practices, hospitals and others that adopt certified EMRs. It eventually will start assessing penalties on those that do not adopt paperless systems.
While Iowa is the first to receive approval, other states have submitted EMR incentive plans as well, CMS said. Iowa will use the funds to conduct a comprehensive analysis to determine the status of health information technology in the state. The state also will gather information on barriers to EMR use and potential physician eligibility for incentives.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/12/21/gvbf1221.htm.
