EHR Incentives & Certification

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.

EHR Incentive Payment Timeline

Fall 201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021
 Stage 1 Maximum Payments
 Stage 2 
 Stage 3
Medicare Incentive Payments $18,000 $12,000 $8,000 $4,000 $2,000             $44,000
  $18,000 $12,000 $8,000 $4,000 $2,000           $44,000
    $15,000 $12,000 $8,000 $4,000           $39,000
      $12,000 $8,000 $4,000           $24,000
Medicaid Incentive Payments $21,250 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500           $63,750
  $21,250 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500         $63,750
  $21,250 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500         $63,750
      $21,250 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500     $63,750
        $21,250 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500   $63,750
          $21,250 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $8,500 $63,750

Registration for these programs is now open for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, and in certain states for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.