Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt on Feb. 20 called on community leaders across the country to apply for a new demonstration project that provides Medicare incentive payments to physicians for the use of certified electronic health records (EHRs) to improve patient care.
Over a five-year period, financial incentives will be provided to as many as 1,200 small- and medium-sized primary care physician practices that use certified EHRs to improve quality as measured by their performance on specific clinical quality measures. In addition to the incentive payments, bonus payments may be awarded based on a standardized survey measuring the number of EHR functionalities a physician group has incorporated into its practice. Total payments under the demonstration for all five years may be up to $58,000 per physician or $290,000 per practice.
The application period is open now through mid May for communities interested in becoming one of the 12 sites. Read the press release.
