Disbursement of Federal Health IT Incentives Tops $7 Billion

Federal funds continue to benefit health-care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of electronic health records. As of September, incentive programs have distributed more than $3.9 billion through Medicare, $3.5 billion through Medicaid, according to figures provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Providers in 16 states had received more than $151 million in incentive payments (as of Aug. 31): California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. A number of states had received less than $50 million during that time period: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Wyoming. Florida, which has a large retiree population, led the way in Medicare payments at $307.5 million, as of Sept. 30. Alaska, which ranks 47th out of 50 states in population, was at the bottom, with only $1.99 million in Medicare incentive payments as of Sept. 30. In terms of combined Medicare and Medicaid payments, California leads all states, with $637.6 million in total payments, according to CMS. Florida is second in the combined total, at $525.8 million – far outpacing No. 3 Illinois, with $258.8 million in payments. Idaho had $15.1 million in combined incentive payments, least among states. Its Medicaid incentive payment has been active since summer.