CSC (NYSE: CSC) announced today that the company, in conjunction with the State of North Carolina, successfully implemented phase one of the North Carolina Medicaid Incentive Payment System (NC-MIPS). Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are authorized to provide incentives for eligible professionals and hospitals who become meaningful users of certified electronic health record technology. NC-MIPS is a computer system supporting the incentive payment program.
"CSC is helping us get this important work done with our community providers. Their work is important in promoting the use of electronic health records which will help improve the quality of healthcare for the people of North Carolina," said Dr. Craigan L. Gray, director of the Division of Medical Assistance for North Carolina's DHHS.
Under phase one, providers who registered with CMS to indicate that they were adopting, implementing or upgrading a system for electronic health records can use the NC-MIPS system's portal. Providers can now attest to Medicaid participation rules as defined by CMS.
"As an early implementer of the Incentive Payment Program, North Carolina is poised to realize benefits such as increasing safety and reducing healthcare costs through expanded use of electronic health records," said Dr. Robert Wah, vice president and chief medical officer of CSC's North American Public Sector. "We are proud to support the state of North Carolina in efforts to transform healthcare with better information for better decisions."
The NC-MIPS program is on schedule for full release in April. At that time, processing for payments to qualifying providers will begin. North Carolina Medicaid will administer the incentive payments to ensure that professionals and hospitals meet federal and state statutory and regulatory requirements.
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