NEWS RELEASE
Thomas Suehs
Executive Commissioner
Date: June 23, 2011
Contact: Stephanie Goodman (512) 424-6951
Texas Children's Hospital Receives Medicaid Incentive Payments
Houston Hospital Earn Bonus for Conversion to Electronic Health Records
HOUSTON – Texas Children’s Hospital received a $4 million Medicaid incentive payment for making the transition to electronic health records.
“Electronic health records are just one way that technology can help us improve patient care even during tight budget years,” said Texas Health and Human Services Executive Commissioner Tom Suehs. “Electronic records make it easier to ensure that doctors have all the information they need about a patient when making treatment decisions.”
Suehs presented the payment to Texas Children’s during a visit to the pediatric hospital along with Cindy Mann, deputy administrator for the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has been making payments to Texas Medicaid providers since mid-May. More than 400 doctors, dentists and other health care professionals have qualified for almost $9 million in bonuses, and 16 Texas hospitals have received $21 million in incentive payments.
Doctors and hospitals can qualify for the incentive payments by adopting electronic health record technology that meets federal standards and using that technology in ways that improve quality, safety and effectiveness of patient care. Individual doctors can receive up to $63,750 over a six-year period through the Medicaid incentive program, and hospitals can qualify for millions of dollars in payments over three years based on a funding formula. CMS also has a similar program for Medicare providers.
There are no restrictions on how hospitals and doctors can use the incentive payments. Individual providers must choose between the Medicaid and Medicare incentive programs, but hospitals can take part in both. Interested providers must first register at the federal level (https://ehrincentives.cms.gov/hitech/login.action) to start their registration process. Once registered at the federal level, the provider will receive instructions on how to enroll in the state program. |
