The typical anesthesia practice now includes a combination of traditional hospital facilities and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), endoscopy centers and other outpatient venues such as doctors' offices. With the continued migration of surgical cases from inpatient to outpatient place of service, a variety of service locations is considered essent...

The EHR Incentive Program, often dubbed “Meaningful Use” (MU), has been surrounded by questions and confusion among anesthesiologists and practice administrators since its inception.  Currently, the majority of anesthesiologists and pain physicians are classified as an Eligible Professional (EP) under the Medicare portion of Meaningful Use and most of the public conversation is centered on that program.  However, the Medicaid option offers more flexibility and financial incentive which raises the question, “How does the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program differ from the Medicare portion?”  The major differences between the Medicare and Medicaid programs of Meaningful Use center on:Provider EligibilityProvider EnrollmentFinancial IncentiveAttestation ScheduleProvider Enrollment and Eligibility To be considered a Medicaid EP, an anesthesiologist or pain physician must perform less than 90% of their services in an inpatient setting (POS 21), but also must provide at least 30% of services to Medicaid patients.  According to CMS: Medicaid patients might be fee-for-service encounters where...