Registration Open for Vermont Medicaid EHR Incentives

 

Beginning Monday, Oct. 3, eligible professionals and hospitals can initiate the process of receiving Medicaid EHR incentive payments. Eligible professionals can receive up to $21,250 in the first year of the program.

This is a two-step process:

Step One: Professionals and hospitals meeting eligibility requirements and enrolled as a Vermont Medicaid provider must first register with the CMS Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System. Starting Oct. 3 Vermont will appear on the list of states in the Medicaid drop down menu.

To successfully register, an eligible professional will need the following:

• an active National Provider Identifier (NPI)
• a National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) web user account
• a tax ID number
• a CMS EHR certification number from the ONC Certified Health IT Product List

Additional information about completing Step One is in the Medicaid Eligible Professional Registration User Guide.

Step Two: The subsequent step of completing the incentive payment application on the Vermont portal can begin as early as October 17, 2011, following notification that the CMS registration has been completed. After an eligible professional is registered in the federal system, he or she will receive an email with information about using Vermont's MAPIR (Medical Assistance Provider Incentive Repository) system to finish the process of attesting and receiving payment. A Vermont Green Mountain Care Internet Portal user ID and password will be needed to log in.

In MAPIR, an eligible professional enters information to demonstrate that he or she:

• Meets Medicaid patient volume thresholds
• Is adopting, implementing or upgrading a federally certified EHR system
• Meets all other federal program requirements
• Has proof of purchase of a federally certified EHR system

In the Medicaid program, first-year incentives can be paid out if an EHR is on order and has not yet been installed. Eligible professionals must submit some type of proof of purchase, such as a receipt, invoice, contract, purchase order, etc.

In the first year, eligible professionals will only attest to adopting, implementing or upgrading. There is no EHR reporting period in year one for Medicaid.

Additional information about the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program is available through the Vermont Health Care Reform site or the VITL website.