CMS issues $8.2 million in matching funds to states, Puerto Rico for Medicaid programs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that several states and Puerto Rico will receive a total of $8.2 million in federal matching funds for planning activities necessary to implement the EHR incentive program established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
According to CMS, the $8.2 million is allocated to the following states and Puerto Rico’s Medicaid programs:
ARRA provides a 90 percent federal match for state and territory planning activities to administer the incentive payments to Medicaid providers, to ensure their proper payments through audits and to participate in efforts to promote interoperability and meaningful use of EHR technology statewide and, eventually, across the nation, stated CMS.
The states and Puerto Rico will use their federal matching funds for planning activities that include conducting a comprehensive analysis to determine the current status of health IT activities in their jurisdiction, according to CMS. As part of that process, they will gather information on issues such as existing barriers to the use of EHRs, provider eligibility for EHR incentive payments and the creation of a State Medicaid HIT Plan, which will define the a vision for long-term health IT use, CMS said.
According to CMS, the $8.2 million is allocated to the following states and Puerto Rico’s Medicaid programs:
- Missouri - $1.53 million;
- Washington - $967,000;
- New Mexico - $405,000;
- Puerto Rico - $1.8 million; and
- Oregon - $3.53 million.
ARRA provides a 90 percent federal match for state and territory planning activities to administer the incentive payments to Medicaid providers, to ensure their proper payments through audits and to participate in efforts to promote interoperability and meaningful use of EHR technology statewide and, eventually, across the nation, stated CMS.
The states and Puerto Rico will use their federal matching funds for planning activities that include conducting a comprehensive analysis to determine the current status of health IT activities in their jurisdiction, according to CMS. As part of that process, they will gather information on issues such as existing barriers to the use of EHRs, provider eligibility for EHR incentive payments and the creation of a State Medicaid HIT Plan, which will define the a vision for long-term health IT use, CMS said.