Four major insurers announced they will align their pay-for-performance programs with federal "meaningful use" criteria providing incentive to implement and use electronic health records (EHR).  The move made by commercial payers Aetna, Highmark, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint can potentially accelerate the implementation of EHRs and the achievement of meaningful use by physicians. Aetna, UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint are insurers in California, although the reach of their pay-for-performance programs and applicability of the new Meaningful Use criteria to CAFP members is unknown.  CAFP will analyze the programs as more information becomes available and ensure that our members can make the most of these private pay-for-performance programs.  In some cases, physicians who meet a payer's pay-for-performance criteria and demonstrate meaningful use will receive a higher pay-for-performance payment; in other cases the payment will not rise, but demonstrating meaningful use will become a criterion for getting the pay-for-performance payment.  For more information, please read the full article from Health Data Management here and for more information on health information technology and meaningful use criteria, please go to the Practice Resource Center on CAFP's website.

The National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, David Blumenthal, MD, and the Principal Deputy Administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Marilyn Tavenner, commended the new initiatives of the commercial payers and the increased alignment in public and private incentives.  This is a step in the right direction for recognizing the increased expenses physicians incur in adopting technology.