AtlantiCare ACO Provider EHR Grant Program

Purpose

AtlantiCare Health Solutions is an Accountable Care Organization (“ACO”) that anticipates making application to the Medicare Shared Services Program (“MSSP”) in 2013.   Ensuring that the providers enrolled in the ACO have electronic health record (“EHR”) technology and applications that can accurately exchange data with AtlantiCare systems is essential to capturing quality data, supporting care protocols and coordinating care for patients enrolled in the ACO.    Accordingly, it has determined that providing subsidies to providers enrolled in the ACO for EHR acquisition, implementation and connectivity to AtlantiCare systems is an ACO start-up cost reasonably related to the purposes of the MSSP, including promoting accountability for the quality, cost and overall management of the patient population; managing and coordinating care for the patient population; and is an investment in the infrastructure of the ACO that will support redesigned care processes for high quality and efficient service delivery for patients.             

Subsidy Program Information

At this time, AtlantiCare has identified eClinicalWorks as the EHR Vendor available for the grant. AtlantiCare may include additional EHR Vendors to this program in the future in accordance with AtlantiCare Enterprise IT Strategy. 

Providers receiving a subsidiary are required to enter into a written agreement with eClinicalWorks for the purchase of software, implementation, maintenance and support services within 90 days of receiving notice that the grant is approved. These EHR Services are offered directly to the provider from eClinical.   AtlantiCare will provide limited implementation and post-implementation support to the provider.  Implementation must be completed within 180 days of receiving notice the grant is approved.   Providers must meet the foregoing milestones  to receive the grant.

This program is intended to comply in all respects with all applicable law, and is a start-up cost under the Pre-Participation Wavier for the MSSP.

Eligibility Criteria

• Individual Applicants must be enrolled as providers in the AtlantiCare ACO and meet the definition of ACO provider/supplier:  a Medicare-enrolled provider or supplier that has reassigned its right to Medicare payment to an ACO participant, and is included on the ACO’s required list of providers/suppliers submitted with its application to the MSSP.  If the Applicant is a physician group, all providers in the group must meet this definition.
• The provider must a member of the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center’s medical staff, who has not had Corrective Action, as defined by the Medical Staff By-Laws, within the past three (3) years.   If the Applicant is a physician group, at least 50% of the physicians in the group must be members of AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center.  If any physician in the group has had Corrective Action in the past three (3) years, funding will not be available for that physician license.  Other eligible users include nurse practitioners.
• Applicant approval is subject to validation by AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center that physicians are medical staff members in good standing. 
• The Applicant and its providers (if a provider group) must actively demonstrate AtlantiCare’s values:   Integrity, Respect, Service, Teamwork, and Safety.
• The Applicant may not already have an EHR system implemented that contains items or services equivalent to those for which funding is provided through the grant.
• The Applicant must consent to the interoperability of the EHR to AtlantiCare’s Health Information Exchange and AtlantiCare systems, allowing AtlantiCare access to its patients’ clinical information except when access would violate federal or state privacy laws or the physician’s contractual obligations to patients.

How to Apply

Applicants must complete and sign the AtlantiCare EHR ACO Subsidy Application and submit the same on or before ____________. 

Please direct all questions about the AtlantiCare EHR ACO Subsidy Program Pam Jenner, Director, Ambulatory Applications and Technology.  

AtlantiCare reserves the right to change and/or terminate this Program at any time without notice.