A link to Registration will be available on CMS EHR Incentives Program site.

Please Note: Although the Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs will begin January 3, 2011, not all states will be ready to participate on this date. Information on when registration will be available for Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs in specific States is posted at Medicaid State Information.

“It is important for a dually-eligible hospital to select “Both Medicare and Medicaid” from the start of registration in order to maintain this option.” Hospitals and Eligible Professionals should read the notes below under the heading “What else do I need to know about registration?”

[Registration for state Medicaid programs opens in the following states on January 3, 2011:

* Alaska
* Iowa
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Oklahoma
* Michigan
* Mississippi
* North Carolina
* South Carolina
* Tennessee
* Texas

Registration for state Medicaid programs opens in the following states in February 2011:

* California
* Missouri
* North Dakota

Other states likely will launch their Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs during the spring and summer of 2011.]

e-Healthcare Marketing note: It’s important for hospitals and eligible professionals in ALL STATES to register when registration opens and not delay registering on the CMS site until their state Medicaid programs are ready. See further note below in red under the heading “What else do I need to know about registration?

What can you do now for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs?

Make sure you have enrollment records in the appropriate systems. You’ll need:

• A National Provider Identifier (NPI)
  • All eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must have a National Provider Identifier (NPI) to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
• An enrollment record in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS)
  • All eligible hospitals and Medicare eligible professionals must have an enrollment record in PECOS to participate in the EHR Incentive Programs. (Note: Eligible professionals who are only participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program are not required to be enrolled in PECOS.)
  • If you do not have an enrollment record in PECOS, you should still register for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

CMS Identity and Access Management (I&A) User ID and Password

• Eligible Professionals:
• • Eligible professionals can use the same User ID and Password they use for the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). This is also the same User ID and Password that is used to access PECOS.
  • If you do not have an active User ID and Password for NPPES or PECOS, request them via Identity & Access Management. You will need your type 2 NPI, your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and your address from IRS Form CP-575. You will also need to mail a copy of IRS Form CP-575 as directed.
• Hospitals/Critical Access Hospitals:
• • Authorized Officials can use the same User ID and Password they use to access PECOS.
  • If you do not have an Authorized Official with access to PECOS, request a User ID and Password via Identity & Access Management. You will need your type 2 NPI, your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and your address from the IRS Form CP-575. You will need to mail a copy of the IRS Form CP-575 as directed.
  • Additional hospital staff will need to request access to the “EHR Incentive Programs” application through Identity & Access Management and be approved by the Hospital’s Authorized Official.

What information will you need when you register?

Registering for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs is easy when you have the following information available during the process:

Eligible Professionals

• National Provider Identifier (NPI).
• National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) User ID and Password.
• Payee Tax Identification Number (if you are reassigning your benefits).
• Payee National Provider Identifier (NPI)(if you are reassigning your benefits).

Hospitals

• CMS Identity and Access Management (I&A) User ID and Password.
• CMS Certification Number (CCN).
• National Provider Identifier (NPI).
• Hospital Tax Identification Number.

NOTE: You do not have to provide information on the certified EHR technology you are using when you register. However, this information is required when you attest.

What else do I need to know about registration?

Hospitals:
Hospitals that are eligible for EHR incentive payments under both Medicare and Medicaid should select “Both Medicare and Medicaid” during the registration process, even if they plan to apply only for a Medicaid EHR incentive payment by adopting, implementing, or upgrading certified EHR technology. Dually-eligible hospitals can then attest through CMS for their Medicare EHR incentive payment at a later date, if they so desire. It is important for a dually-eligible hospital to select “Both Medicare and Medicaid” from the start of registration in order to maintain this option.

Hospitals that register only for the Medicaid program (or only the Medicare program) will not be able to manually change their registration (i.e., change to “Both Medicare and Medicaid” or from one program to the other) after a payment is initiated and this may cause significant delays in receiving a Medicare EHR incentive payment.

Eligible Professionals:
Eligible professionals eligible for both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs must choose which incentive program they wish to participate in when they register. Before 2015, an eligible professional may switch programs only once after the first incentive payment is initiated. Most eligible professionals will maximize their incentive payments by participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.

The Electronic Health Record (EHR) Information Center is open to assist the EHR Provider Community with inquiries.
Hours of operation are:

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Central Time) Monday through Friday (except federal holidays)
1-888-734-6433 (primary number) or 888-734-6563 (TTY number)

Submit an Inquiry to the EHR Information Center

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