Second, delaying implementation does not limit the amount of incentive money available to the EP – so a provider who waits to begin the process in 2016 can receive the same $63,750 incentive as one who begins in 2012.
Finally, the CMS requires that states disburse the payments within 45 days of attestation, and there are no billing thresholds to meet.
– What about the penalties?
Providers who are eligible under the Medicare program will begin to see "payment adjustments" if they fail to comply with meaningful use by 2015. This amounts to a 1% penalty per year, and will max out at 5%. Under the Medicaid program, there is no penalty for not adopting an EHR.
Either way, the timeline should provide plenty of time for anyone who is serious about switching to electronic health records. Those who eschew technology and refuse to make the jump can decide on their own if the outlined penalties are a reasonable price to pay.
This column, EHR Report, appears regularly in Family Practice News, a publication of Elsevier. Dr. Skolnik is associate director of the family medicine residency program at Abington (Pa.) Memorial Hospital and professor of family and community medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia. He is also editor in chief of Redi-Reference, a software company that creates medical handheld references. Dr. Notte practices family medicine and health care informatics for Abington Memorial Hospital. They are partners in EHR Practice Consultants, helping practices move to EHR systems. Contact them at info@ehrpc.com.