Study and Report on Application of EHR Payment Incentives for Providers Not Receiving Payment Incentives

The award is a fixed price award competitively awarded under a group of IDIQ contracts the Program Support Center (PSC) has with various vendors. Fair opportunity was provided for.



The purpose of this task order contract is to produce information for HHS to draft a Report to Congress on the Application of EHR Payment Incentives for Providers not Receiving Other Incentive Payments mandated in Section 4104(a) of Title IV of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The statute requires that by June 30, 2010 the Secretary of HHS submit to Congress a report on the findings and conclusions of the study to determine the extent to and manner in which payment incentives for implementing and using certified EHR technology should be made available to health care providers who are receiving no or only minimal incentives under HITECH or otherwise. Upon receipt of the study, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) shall draft a Report for review and clearance in the Department of HHS.



Section 4104(a) of Title IV of HITECH requires that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) conduct a study to determine the extent to which and manner in which payment incentives (such as under Medicare or Medicaid) and other funding for purposes of implementing and using certified EHR technology (as defined through HITECH) should be made available to health care providers who are receiving minimal or no payment incentives or other funding under HITECH, Medicare, or Medicaid for such purposes. The Secretary is required to submit a report to Congress on the findings and conclusions of this study. The report to Congress is due June 30, 2010.



Specifically, the statute requires that the study examine:

1. the adoption rates of certified EHR technology by such health care providers;

2. the clinical utility of such technology by such health care providers;

3. whether the services furnished by such health care providers are appropriate for or would benefit from the use of such technology;

4. the extent to which such health care providers work in settings that might otherwise receive an incentive payment or other funding under HITECH, Medicare, Medicaid, or otherwise;

5. the potential costs and benefits of making payment incentives and other funding available to such health care providers; and

6. any other issues the Secretary deems to be appropriate.