Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals that are planning to participate in the Medicare EHR incentive program will be able to register on line beginning January 3, 2011. State Medicaid programs also scheduled to begin registration on January 3, 2011 are Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. States targeting for February are California, Missouri, and North Dakota. All other states will probably not have registrations until the spring or summer. You will be able to find the registration link on this CMS page.
You do not have to have a certified EHR system purchased or implemented to register for the program. You will however need your certified system implemented and functioning to attest to the 90 day reporting. The following information is needed to register for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
Eligible Professionals
- National Provider Identifier (NPI).
- National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) User ID and Password.
- Payee Tax Identification Number (if you are reassigning your benefits).
- Payee National Provider Identifier (NPI)(if you are reassigning your benefits).
Eligible Hospitals
- CMS Identity and Access Management (I&A) User ID and Password.
- CMS Certification Number (CCN).
- National Provider Identifier (NPI).
- Hospital Tax Identification Number.
You can find more information on the program and registration on the Official Web Site for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs. Future important dates include:
- April 2011 – Attestation for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program begins.
- May 2011 – EHR Incentive Payments expected to begin.
- July 3, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals to begin their 90-day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.
Eligible professionals must have an enrollment record in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) in order to receive a Medicare EHR incentive payment. Because you submit claims and receive payments from Medicare does not mean you have an enrollment record in PECOS. Here are CMS instructions on PECOS enrollment.
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