The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology said they are ready to start registration Jan. 3 for the electronic health records (EHR) incentive programs.

Eligible healthcare professionals and hospitals can begin then to sign up for the Medicare EHR incentive program. Registration will also be available for the Medicaid EHR incentive program, which states administer, in Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

In February, registration will open in California, Missouri, and North Dakota, according to CMS. Other states likely will launch their Medicaid EHR incentive programs during the spring and summer of 2011.

Eligible providers who wish to participate in the Medicaid programs must initiate registration at CMS' registration site, but complete the process through an eligibility verification site through their state Medicaid agency.

"The changeover from paper to electronic records will be challenging for clinicians and hospitals, but CMS and ONC have taken steps to ease the transition," said Dr. Donald Berwick, CMS administrator, in an announcement Dec. 22. "We've provided flexibility in meeting the meaningful use requirements and have the resources in place to help providers acquire certified EHR technology and meet the programs' requirements."

CMS and ONC said they can offer online and in-person resources to assist eligible physicians and hospitals.

"It's time to get connected," said Dr. David Blumenthal, the national health IT coordinator. "ONC and CMS have worked together over many months to prepare for the startup on Jan. 3."

He cited various tools that have been developed to assist providers, such as ONC's certified health IT product list (http://onc-chpl.force.com/ehrcert), which supplies the names and information of more than 130 certified EHR systems or modules to date. ONC also offers hands-on technical assistance to physicians across the country through its 62 regional health IT extension centers.

To prepare for registration, interested providers can familiarize themselves with the incentive programs' requirements at CMS' Web site (http://www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms), which supplies detailed information, including tabs on the path to payment, eligibility, meaningful use, certified EHR technology, and frequently asked questions.

The incentive programs are authorized under the HITECH Act to encourage physicians and hospitals to become meaningful users of EHRs to improve the quality of healthcare and patient outcomes. Physicians can receive as much as $44,000 over five years through Medicare.

For Medicaid, eligible professionals can receive as much as $63,750 over six years. Under both Medicare and Medicaid, eligible hospitals may receive millions of dollars.

Among the key dates for the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs in 2011 are:

• Jan. 3: Registration for the Medicare EHR incentive program begins.
• Jan. 3: States that are ready may launch their incentive programs for Medicaid providers.
• January: Some state agencies begin issuing Medicaid EHR incentive payments.
• April: Attestation for the Medicare EHR incentive program begins.
• May: Issuing of Medicare EHR incentive payments expected to begin.
• July 3: Last day for eligible hospitals to begin their 90-day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR incentive program for federal fiscal 2011.
• Sept. 30: Federal fiscal 2011 payment year ends at midnight for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals.