Eligible Professionals

The Medicaid Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program (formerly the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program) is limited to Eligible Professionals (EPs) for six years of participation, and Eligible Hospitals (EHs) for three years. The program provides incentive payments to EPs and EHs as they adopt, implement, upgrade or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. The program is slated to end in the calendar year 2022.

Eligibility

Defined as:

  • Physicians (M.D. and D.O.)
  • Dentists
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • Certified Nurse-Midwives
  • Physician assistants (who furnish services in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Clinic that is led by a physician assistant)
Requirements

To qualify for an incentive payment under the PI Program, an Eligible Professional must meet one of the following criteria:

  • Have a minimum 30% Medicaid patient volume*
  • Have a minimum 20% Medicaid patient volume, and is a pediatrician*
  • Practice predominantly in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Center and have a minimum 30% patient volume attributable to needy individuals

* Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) patients do not count toward the Medicaid patient volume criteria.

Meaningful Use

Participants must have adopted, implemented, or upgraded to certified EHR technology during Year One of their program participation that met the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology certification criteria before December 31, 2016. 

In all subsequent years, providers must demonstrate meaningful use (i.e., how the technology moves beyond being a digital medical chart to a valuable tool to transform health care service delivery and improve health outcomes). The PI Program requires the use of EHR technology certified through the ONC. For more information, visit the ONC website.

Incentive Payments

By meeting the meaningful use program requirements, Eligible Professionals may receive an additional $8,500 during years 2-5. For pediatricians who meet the 20 percent patient volume but fall short of the 30 percent patient volume threshold, the maximum incentive payment is a reduced amount of $5,667 each subsequent year they attest with a patient volume between 20 to 29%. If the pediatrician meets the 30% threshold, they will receive the full incentive amount of $8,500 for that attestation year.

Patient Volume Calculator

Eligible Professionals can download the Patient Volume Calculator to help expedite the patient volume calculation step when registering with the State of Georgia for the incentive payment. Eligible Professionals attesting for Program Year 2021 must use the Download this xls file. 2021 Patient Volume Calculator . 

Technical Assistance

To assist providers in completing program requirements, the Division of Health IT has partnered with Gainwell Technologies and HI-BRIDGE (formerly GA-HITEC) to provide free meaningful use assistance. 

Meaningful Use Inquiries      

 

Patient Volume Calculator/Registration Inquiries

 

Getting Started

Step One: Check your demographics with the State of Georgia 

Eligible Professionals are required to register for web access through their existing Georgia Medicaid portal account (i.e. MMIS) prior to registration for an incentive payment. Click here to access the Georgia Medicaid portal. 

Step Two: Update your registration at CMS

 Eligible Professionals must register on the CMS Registration and Attestation System. Click here to register.

Additional Resources
External Resource Links