So far, the government hasn't taken any audit action against providers who have attested to meaningful use and collected their first round of electronic health record (EHR) incentive dollars. But this could be changing, starting with Medicaid incentive payments (worth $21,250 in the first round of the program), according to a new OIG report.

We're in the middle of our three-day online survey on electronic health records (EHRs). You know you want to take the next two minutes to click through our short, seven-question survey. By taking our survey, you'll be giving us reliable guidance on which stories to write and prioritize in future issues of Part B News. Interested in what your peers are saying so far? Click to check out some of the results from the survey in progress.

While the vast majority of physicians know about the incentive bonuses they can earn by implementing an electronic health record (EHR) and meeting meaningful use, barely a third know that failing to do so by 2015 will result in a Medicare payment penalty. This significant discrepancy in knowledge was uncovered in a survey of 500 physicians by Physicians' Reciprocal Insurers (PRI).

Your peers feel most challenged by new, upcoming physician payment models that put more financial risk on practices and by earning Medicare's electronic health record (EHR) incentive bonus, according to the latest research from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA). The organization's fourth annual "Medical Practice Today: What Members Have to Say" report, based on email responses from 1,190 MGMA members, found the following five issues to be the top challenges of running a practice ...

You've done it -- implemented an electronic health record (EHR) system successfully, met stage 1 meaningful use requirements (all 20 of them!) and even proceeded to have your providers finish attesting using CMS's online system. Where then, is your money? The answers are in the fine print, CMS says in a new addition to its frequently asked questions website on EHR.