On February 23,  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced that more than 21,000 providers initiated registration for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs in January and four states reported initial Medicaid incentive payments totaling $20,425,550.   The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs were enacted by Congress under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”).  In addition, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (“ONC”) announced that as of Feb. 11, 2011, more than 45,000 providers requested information or registration help from 62 Regional Extension Centers (RECs).  RECs provide hands-on support for providers who want to adopt and become meaningful users of electronic health information technology. According to CMS, this early interest in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR programs reveals strong support for these programs that will advance health care through improvements in patient safety, quality of care, and patient involvement in treatment options.

Eligible professionals and hospitals must register in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs.  Registration opened on Jan. 3, 2011.

Providers and business associates may go to the following websites to learn more about the Medicare and Medicaid EHR financial incentives and Meaningful Use requirements, including Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQ”):

Photo of John Mulhollan John Mulhollan

John Mulhollan has actively served a variety of business and healthcare clients in Ohio and California, with a particular emphasis on the healthcare industry, for nearly ten years.

Mr. Mulhollan has experience counseling clients in a variety of substantive areas, including healthcare transactions…

John Mulhollan has actively served a variety of business and healthcare clients in Ohio and California, with a particular emphasis on the healthcare industry, for nearly ten years.

Mr. Mulhollan has experience counseling clients in a variety of substantive areas, including healthcare transactions and contractual negotiations involving Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse compliance, physician referral compliance under the Stark law and professional and facility licensing. He has assisted both nonprofit and for-profit clients with legal analysis and documentation of healthcare private offerings, joint venture agreements, leases and corporate governance matters in connection with complex transactions. Focused on providing sound, yet practical, advice, Mr. Mulhollan strives to understand and promote each client’s healthcare mission by providing legally compliant solutions to the challenges of today’s complex healthcare environment.

Mr. Mulhollan has represented large and small healthcare providers such as healthcare systems, individual hospitals and clinics, as well as physicians and ancillary healthcare businesses. The complex transactions he has handled range from single contractual services arrangements to large healthcare mergers and acquisitions. Examples include the acquisition of a county-owned community hospital by a nonprofit health system, shareholder relations and combinations with respect to private physician practices, and compliance and documentation support for a variety of healthcare ventures involving ambulatory surgery, diagnostic imaging and laboratory services. In addition to providing thorough legal analysis of business issues, Mr. Mulhollan is able to guide clients through complex issues ranging from Medicare/Medicaid certification, change of ownership and reimbursement implications of such transactions to detailed analysis and preparation of professional and vendor services agreements. He also provides guidance and support in the areas of operational restructuring of provider, supplier and medical group operations, including the expansion or contraction of services, outsourcing, marketing and development compliance and complex facility and vendor relationships.

Mr. Mulhollan has advised clients on a variety of organizational compliance efforts, including fraud and abuse and Stark law compliance and corporate policy development. He advises clients on physician professional services and on-call arrangements, medical director agreements, physician recruitment, graduate medical education and medical office leasing. Mr. Mulhollan has advised both healthcare and business clients on implementing the many requirements and compliance issues arising under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), as well as compliance with state medical privacy and professional licensing laws.

In addition, Mr. Mulhollan’s business practice includes general business advice to healthcare and non-healthcare clients, including mergers and acquisitions, governance, shareholder transactions, professional entity formation and compliance with government regulations.

Mr. Mulhollan is a member of the American, Ohio and Cleveland Metropolitan (Health Law Section) Bar Associations, as well as the American Health Lawyers Association.