Virginia Providers Successfully Attest to
Meaningful Use Under Incentive Program
Virginia hospitals and providers have patiently awaited the launch of
the Virginia Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive
Program and now the wait is over. On August 1, 2012, the
Department of Medical Assistance Services launched the program to all eligible hospitals (EHs) and
eligible providers (EPs) throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia Medicaid EHR
Incentive Program provides incentive payments for eligible healthcare providers to use EHR
technology in ways that can positively impact patient care.
Hospital Perspective
The University of Virginia (UVA) Health System was the first hospital to attest to implementing an
EHR and receive the incentive payment under the state Medicaid program. UVA had the benefit of
perfect timing as they launched the process for identifying a new, comprehensive EHR system.
That search began around the time the EHR incentive program was announced nationally.
Barry Wagner, manager, management engineering and meaningful use project manager with UVA
Health System, said UVA has committed considerable time and resources to integrating the EHR
into the patient care process. Being first, Wagner said, was based on UVA’s timely readiness to
attest just as the state program was first accepting attestations.
“Now, information about our patients is available in one place to any health system provider. When
that provider makes a decision about a patient, they can see any reports from radiology, lab work
or other pertinent information,” said Jamie Hughes, MHA, RN, administrator, UVA Health System
Technology Services.
UVA initiated an open EHR selection process, incorporating feedback from providers and staff. All
staff had the chance to participate in EHR product demonstrations, and online polling allowed
health system employees to vote for their preferred vendor.
UVA selected Epic and began the process of implementing the system. All ambulatory clinics went
live in September 2010, followed by the inpatient setting in March 2011. To prepare everyone to
use the new system, UVA organized required training for anyone allowed into the EHR.
“In addition, we offer other educational resources, including an online learning library, tip sheets
and videos. People learn in different ways, and we want to meet the needs of all of our providers
and staff,” Hughes said.
While most providers and staff have embraced the new EHR system, some physicians initially felt
uncertain about the transition. However, by offering one-on-one assistance to these providers,
implementation leaders helped them become more confident and capable users.
For hospitals and practices that are considering EHR adoption, UVA would encourage them to do
their homework and understand their business processes and how an EHR will be integrated.
“Strong internal communications and education are also important to secure buy-in among all your
staff. Identify your EHR champions to help staff through the transition,” Hughes said.
Physician Perspective
Physicians across Virginia are also taking advantage of the Medicaid Incentive Program. Elizabeth
Fox, MD, of Wythe Physicians For Women located in Wytheville, Va., was the first eligible provider
in Virginia to successfully attest to AIU.
Fox, a solo provider specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, implemented an EHR system more
than three years ago.
“As a solo provider, the EHR did not make me faster or more efficient. However, EHRs do help
physicians avoid some medical errors and allow us to better track preventive services offered to
our patients,” she said.
Fox selected an EHR that would maintain patient charts and support practice management
functions. Her patients are pleased that they can now receive appointment reminders by text,
another feature of the EHR system.
The practice took an organized approach to setting up the system and training providers and staff
to use it effectively. Fox identified the meaningful use criteria that best fit the practice and Regina
Day, office manager, monitored efforts to meet those criteria. Meeting meaningful use is not
required for first-year incentive payments, but will be required for year two.
“It’s important to identify what criteria you want to meet and design a strategy to meet those
measures. Practices can also take advantage of the many educational resources available to help
them understand the measures and take steps to meet them,” she said.
When the Virginia Medicaid EHR Incentive Program was launched in August, Wythe Physicians for
Women quickly moved to register for the program and complete the attestation process. Fox and
her staff prepared by utilizing the educational resources provided by their EHR vendor, Greenway.
This preparation ensured that Fox was able to easily complete the attestation process and receive
her incentive payment within a few weeks.
“This is a great program for Medicaid providers, and it helped encourage me to transition to an
EHR. As a solo provider, it was very costly to implement an EHR system. The incentive payment is
a nice reward after making a significant investment of time and money,” Fox said.
You Can Attest Too
To receive Medicaid incentives, EHs and EPs must register on the CMS website and then enroll at
the Virginia Medicaid EHR Incentive Program website. In the first year of their participation in the
program, providers must attest to adopting, implementing or upgrading to a certified EHR. For
UVA, the registration and attestation processes were relatively smooth. When providers had
questions, they consulted the training resources on the DMAS provider portal. They also received
support when they called the Virginia attestation hotline.
Register Now to Get Started
EPs may receive incentives totaling up to $63,750 over six years. Providers must adopt, implement
or upgrade (AIU) to a meaningful use-certified EHR system in 2012 or 2013 to qualify for first-year
incentives. Visit http://vhitrec.org/incentives/ to learn more about provider eligibility.
Acute care hospitals with an average length of stay of 25 days or fewer may also be eligible for the
EHR incentives. Eligible hospitals (EHs) also must meet a 10% Medicaid patient volume threshold;
however, children’s hospitals are exempt from the patient volume requirement. Hospital incentive
payments are calculated based on a number of factors. For more information about hospital
eligibility, visit http://vhitrec.org/incentives/eligible-hospitals/.
If you’re ready to sign up for the Virginia incentive program, you may go directly to Virginia’s online enrollment portal at
https://www.virginiamedicaidehr.dmas.virginia.gov and enroll on your own. If you need help enrolling in Virginia’s
program, there is an online tutorial available within the enrollment portal or you can contact us at 1-877-589-9113. If
due to the complexity of your organization or EHR system you need one-on-one assistance throughout the process, you
can contact VHIT at 1-800-207-7928.