EHR Incentive Payment Timeline
Go Paperless and Get Paid
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to award incentive payments to eligible professionals who demonstrate Meaningful Use of a certified electronic health record (EHR).
It pays to get started early! Providers must participate early — in 2011 or 2012 — in order to receive the maximum incentive.
These incentive programs will not always be available, and financial penalties are scheduled to take effect in 2015 for Medicare and Medicaid providers who do not transition to EHRs.
The table below provides an overview of the EHR incentive payment timeline for eligible health care professionals.
Medicare EHR Incentive Payment Schedule for Eligible Professionals
| Payment Amounts | If a Medicare Eligible Professional Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2011 | If a Medicare Eligible Professional Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2012 | If a Medicare Eligible Professional Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2013 | If a Medicare Eligible Professional Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2014 | If a Medicare Eligible Professional Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment | $18,000 | ||||
| Amount for 2011 Will Be | |||||
| Payment Amount for 2012 Will Be | $12,000 | $18,000 | |||
| Payment Amount for 2013 Will Be | $8,000 | $12,000 | $15,000 | ||
| Payment Amount for 2014 Will Be | $4,000 | $8,000 | $12,000 | $12,000 | |
| Payment Amount for 2015 Will Be | $2,000 | $4,000 | $8,000 | $8,000 | |
| Payment Amount for 2016 Will Be | $2,000 | $4,000 | $4,000 | ||
| Total Payment Amount Will Be | $44,000 | $44,000 | $39,000 | $24,000 |
Medicaid EHR Incentive Payment Schedule for Eligible Professionals
| Medicaid EP Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2011 | Medicaid EP Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2012 | Medicaid EP Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2013 | Medicaid EP Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2014 | Medicaid EP Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2015 | Medicaid EP Qualifies to Receive First Payment in 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payment Amount in 2011 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2012 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2013 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2014 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2015 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 | $0.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2016 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $21,250.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2017 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2018 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2019 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2020 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 | $8,500.00 |
| Payment Amount in 2021 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $8,500.00 |
| TOTAL Incentive Payments | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 | $63,750.00 |
Registration for these programs is now open for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, and in certain states for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.