JACKSON, MS – The Mississippi Medicaid program has contracted Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS) to help manage the government's EHR meaningful use incentive program.

As part of the federal stimulus plan, healthcare providers who participate in state Medicaid programs receive incentive payments for implementing and using EHRs under the government's guidelines for meaningful use. Each state is required to manage the process for providers to apply for and receive their payments.

[For more on meaningful use, see: Special Report: Meaningful use defined.]

Under the contract, Mississippi Medicaid will employ the ACS State Level Registry (SLR) where providers can apply for incentive payments via a secure website. The SLR solution facilitates the state's tracking and confirmation of qualified applicants, verifies certified EHR use, reduces fraud by ensuring providers meet the threshold for incentive payments and, by working in conjunction with the National Level Registry, eliminates the issuance of duplicate payments.

[Check out what ACS is doing for Alabama's Medicaid program: The Alabama Medicaid Agency initiative receiving boost from IT.]

"The provision of the SLR tool by ACS in a short period of time, in compliance with complicated federal guidelines, mitigated a resource-intensive challenge, which confronted the DOM," said Executive Director Robert L. Robinson. "The use of ACS's State Level Registry helps our providers efficiently navigate the process and provides DOM the ability to issue the correct incentive payments to the right person at the right time. Utilization of the SLR Help Desk facility, also provided by ACS, frees our staff to focus on our goal of improving the access and quality of care to Medicaid beneficiaries, while minimizing costs to our citizens."
 
"States are challenged with managing the rapidly changing demands of health information technology at a time when they need to make the most of their resources," said Will Saunders, senior vice president and leader, ACS Government Healthcare Solutions. "We are able to implement a solution that eases administrative burdens and helps states better focus on transforming the delivery of healthcare."
 
ACS is also the administrator of Mississippi's Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS).