GAO: CMS should reconcile e-prescribing, EHR incentive reporting

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should reduce the duplicate requirements in its two programs that pay incentives to healthcare providers who use health information technology. It should also reconcile areas in the two programs that are similar but inconsistent to relieve some of the reporting burden for participating physicians, according to the Government Accountability Office.

CMS administers two programs, for electronic prescribing and electronic health records, which pay incentives to eligible Medicare providers who adopt and use health IT, and imposes penalties on those who do not use the digital tools after several years. In 2009, the first year the e-prescribing program disbursed incentive payments, CMS paid out $148 million to about 8 percent of the about 600,000 Medicare providers who were eligible. From 2012 through 2014, CMS will decrease the amount of payments for claims to providers who do not establish e-prescribing, said GAO in a report published Feb. 17. CMS will start paying incentives under the EHR program to qualifying Medicare providers this year. Although GAO found similarities in the technology and reporting requirements for both programs, the auditor said that the requirements of the two programs are inconsistent in several areas.