Electronic health records bring $135M to Indiana

The federal stimulus program to speed “meaningful use” of electronic medical records is starting to generate significant cash for Indiana health care providers: More than $135 million has flowed to more than 2,000 Hoosier hospitals and doctors since January 2011.

Those are the latest figures from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, which so far have dished out $5.7 billion of the expected $38 billion in incentive payments authorized by the 2009 stimulus bill.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has not reported the amount it has paid to individual hospitals. However, some of the Indianapolis-area hospital systems disclosed what they were paid for using electronic medical records in 2011.

Indiana University Health received nearly $24 million in incentive payments from CMS for 2011. Out of its 20 hospitals, those in Avon, Lafayette, Martinsville, Muncie and the three in downtown Indianapolis are the ones so far eligible to receive payments for using electronic health records.

Community Health Network reported that it collected $12.6 million in incentive payments during the first quarter, based on its “meaningful use” of electronic health records in all of 2011. Five of Community’s hospitals qualified for the payments, with the only exception being its newest one, Westview Hospital in Indianapolis.

Franciscan Alliance recorded $10.7 million in incentive payments for 2011 for its hospitals in Mooresville and Munster.

Major Health Partners in Shelbyville received $1.7 million in incentive payments for 2011.

There are 726 physicians or physician groups in Indiana that have receied incentive payments for using electronic health records.