Meaningful Use
ELIGIBILITY
Providers may be eligible for incentives from either Medicare or Medicaid, but not both.
Medicare: A Medicare Eligible Professional is defined as a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine, doctor of podiatry, doctor of optometry or a chiropractor who is not hospital-based.
Medicaid: A Medicaid Eligible Professional is defined as a physician, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or dentist. To qualify for an EHR incentive payment, a Medicaid EP must not be hospital-based and must meet one of the following criteria:
- Have a minimum 30% Medicaid patient volume
- Have a minimum 20% Medicaid patient volume, and is a pediatrician
- Practice predominantly in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Center and have a minimum 30% patient volume attributable to needy individuals
If You Qualify for Both Programs
If you are eligible for both the Medicare and the Medicaid incentive programs, you can only participate in one program, not both. You will need to select which program you want to participate when you register. Here are the general differences:
| Medicare | Medicaid |
| Can participate as soon as the federal program launches | Can participate once my state offers the program (check with your state for expected launch date) |
| Can receive up to $44,000 in incentives, and up to $48,400 if practicing in a Health Provider Shortage Area | Can receive up to $63,750 in incentives |
| Required to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology every year to qualify for payment | Can qualify for payment for adopting, implementing, upgrading or demonstrating meaningful use of certified EHR technology in first participation year. Required to demonstrate meaningful use in each subsequent year to qualify for payment |
| Must participate by the second year to receive the maximum incentive payment | Must participate by 2016 to receive the maximum incentive payment |
You may switch between programs one time after your first incentive payment before 2015.