HHS Identifies Participants in Demonstration Project
Twelve communities were chosen by the Department of Health and Human Services for participation in a electronic health record (EHR) demonstration project. The program, spanning five years, will assess the utility of providing physicians with incentives for implementing EHRs, reported by Health Data Management.
Those identified to participate include Delaware; Jacksonville, FL; Maine; Maryland/Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh; Virginia; Madison, Wisconsin; South Dakota; Oklahoma; Louisiana; Georgia; and Alabama. Over thirty different states/communities applied to participate in the program. A key factor noted among all the awardees was an existing collaboration amongst relevant participants.
Clinicians will be reimbursed depending on the number of EHR functions that are utilized. As many as 1,200 clinicians in each community will be eligible for incentives. Each physician could earn as much as $58,000; $290,000 for each clinical practice. Clinicians will be recruited to participate in the program, in cooperation with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Most organizations will commence programming in 2009, though a few are starting this Fall.
June 12, 2008 Related topics: Trends, Partnerships & Consortia, IT & software, Evaluation & assessment