MEDICAID NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                       Contact: CMS Office of Media Affairs

February 26, 2010                                                                                                                          (202) 690-6145

 

 

Twelve States (VT, AL, AR, AZ, FL, IL, KS, ME, MI, NE, OK, and VA) to Receive Federal Matching Funds for Electronic Health Record Incentives Program

 

In another key step to further states’ role in developing a robust U.S. health information technology (HIT) infrastructure, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today additional federal matching funds for certain state planning activities necessary to implement the electronic health record (EHR) incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act). 

 

The Recovery Act provides a 90 percent federal match for state planning activities to administer the incentive payments to Medicaid providers, to ensure their proper payments through audits and to participate in statewide efforts to promote interoperability and meaningful use of EHR technology statewide and, eventually, across the nation.

 

EHRs will improve the quality of health care for the citizens of the recipient states and make their care more efficient.  The records make it easier for the many providers who may be treating a Medicaid patient to coordinate care.  Additionally, EHRs make it easier for patients to access the information they need to make decisions about their health care.

 

This batch is part of a rolling announcement CMS began in November 2009. To date, including the new states, we will have awarded a total of  $43.56 million.

 

Alabama - $269,000

Arkansas - $815,000

Arizona - $2.89 million

Florida - $1.69 million

Illinois - $2.18 million

Kansas - $1.70 million

Maine - $1.40 million

Michigan - $1.52 million

Nebraska - $894,000

Oklahoma - $587,000

Vermont - $294,000

Virginia - $1.66 million  

 

Additional information on implementation of the Medicaid-related provisions of the Recovery Act’s EHR incentive payment program may be found at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Recovery/11_HealthIT.asp#TopOfPage

 

The Press Release will be available at: https://www.cms.hhs.gov/apps/media/press_releases.asp.