In a nutshell, what does the bill mean to the typical physician?
The opportunity provided to qualifying physicians is significant. Basically, the Bill provides that qualified physicians who utilize a certified electronic health record in a “meaningful” way will receive incentive payments through additional reimbursements via either Medicare or Medicaid, depending upon the individual physician’s payor mix. Incentive payments ranging from a maximum of $ 44,000 under the Medicare incentive option or $ 64,000 under the Medicaid option are available to EACH qualifying physician, regardless of group practice size. The payments are made over a five year period beginning in 2011.
