Funding For Electronic Health Records Available

August 26th, 2008

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announces the availability of up to $290,000 to Primary Care Physicians to adopt and implement the use of Electronic Medical Records.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has chosen Louisiana as one of the first four applicants to implement an Electronic Health Records (EHR) Demonstration Project.

About the EHR Demonstration:

Five-year program for approximately 200 eligible physician practices beginning June 1, 2009.

Eligible physician practices

20 or fewer providers, including solo practitioners

The main provider of primary care for at least 50 Medicare fee-for service beneficiaries (per practice)

Medical sub-specialists who also provide the primary care as specified

Pediatricians and obstetricians/gynecologists are not eligible

Random assignment of practices
Half of the 200 practices will be required to implement a CCHIT certified EHR and will receive retrospective payments for reporting performance information on quality measures related to diabetes mellitus, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, and provision of preventive care services.

The other 100 practices will not be held to the CMS EHR or reporting requirements and will not receive financial payment.

All practices will have access to technical support from Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum advisors and experts including assistance in applying for the demonstration itself and help in achieving a smooth transition to EHR use and quality reporting among those providers selected.

Additional information with details about the EHR Demonstration is available on the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forums website, www.lhcqf.org. Applications will be available beginning September 2, 2008 on the website. The application is due no later than November 26, 2008 and should be submitted to the following address:

EHR Demonstration
c/o Actuarial Research Corporation, Suite 510
5950 Symphony Woods Road
Columbia, MD 21044

We encourage you to review materials, which answer many questions you may have. The Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum and its stakeholders across the state are committed to supporting your success throughout the life of this demonstration. We believe tracking quality measures using electronic health records promises to move Louisiana forward as a leader in improved health outcomes for our citizens.

Please contact Shannon Robshaw at 225-334-9299 with any questions about the application or the Electronic Health Records Demonstration.