EHR Incentive Programs Top $19.2 Billion In Payments

Eligible providers and hospitals are still raking in the dough to compensate for EHR adoption, said the HIT Policy Committee during its latest meeting this week.  More than $19.2 billion in incentive payments have been doled out to nearly 88% of hospitals and 60% of Medicare providers nationwide.  Over 340,000 providers have received an incentive as of the end of December 2013.

While the incentive phases of meaningful use will be winding down in 2015, healthcare organizations that have made the financial, technical, and quality commitment to make the most of the EHRs are still reaping the rewards.  Only 213 EPs who have tried to attest have failed in their efforts compared to 223,821 successes.  Every one of the 3825 hospitals that have attested have succeeded in the process.

On average, the thresholds for Stage 1 measures have been significantly exceeded.  Drug formulary, immunization registries, and the patient list are the most popular menu objectives for EPs, while hospitals most often choose advance directives, clinical lab test results, and drug formulary.  Both providers and hospitals have avoided transition of care summaries, and relatively few providers choose to generate patient reminders.