UK Celebrates the EHR Registration Day

Are you registered? Hospitals across the nation are coming together today in support of electronic health records (EHR) through the "Nationwide EHR Registration Day," encouraging their local physician practices, and their entire medical community, to register their intent to qualify for incentive payments under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

 Kentucky is among the first states in the country to begin receiving federal dollars from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services for meaningful use of electronic health records, and UK HealthCare is among the first providers to participate.

These incentive payments, will assist with the purchase or upgrade of information technology systems for health care records. Because they were the first providers to complete the federal and state application processes, UK HealthCare is among the first hospital in the country to receive checks provided through this funding.

"We congratulate the ONC (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology) and the Commonwealth of Kentucky for their work in making this possible, and are grateful for their dedication to improve the quality and value of health care for the people of Kentucky and across the nation," said Dr. Carol L. Steltenkamp, Kentucky Regional Extension Center project director and UK HealthCare’s chief medical information officer. "This was an easy process for UK HealthCare because there are so many resources available. I encourage everyone to learn more and take advantage of the opportunities to adopt EHR."

The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs are providing incentive payments to eligible professionals and hospitals as they demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. By participating in 2011 and 2012, providers can earn the maximum incentive—up to $44,000 for Medicare and up to $63,750 for Medicaid.

Interested in registering?

The Kentucky Regional Extension Center (KY-REC) is assisting participating hospitals and clinics with information and assistance on how to attest and qualify for incentive payments. As a resource for local physicians with partnerships with area hospitals, the KY-REC's implementation specialists and staff are committed to helping areas around the state increase health care quality and better patient care through the use of electronic health records.

If interested in learning more, visit www.ky-rec.org, or contact KY-REC at KYREC@UKY.EDU or (859) 323-3090.