Early Assessment Finds that CMS Faces Obstacles in Overseeing the Medicare EHR Incentive Program

November 15, 2012
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health and Human Services assessed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) oversight of the Medicare electronic health record (EHR) incentive program, for which CMS estimates it will pay $6.6 billion in incentive payments between 2011 and 2016. This study reviewed CMS's oversight of professionals' and hospitals' self-reported meaningful use of certified EHR technology in 2011, the first year of the program. To address our objective, we analyzed self-reported information to ensure it met program requirements. We also reviewed CMS's . . .