BATON ROUGE — A recently released federal audit shows Louisiana's Medicaid program overpaid $3.1 million in incentives to 13 hospitals in 2011 and underpaid several others.
The Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentives program began in 2011 to encourage hospitals and other health care professionals to use electronic health records during the course of caring for Medicaid patients. But, the state Department of Health and Hospitals made a number of errors as it awarded $93 million in incentives, according to the Office of the Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources.
Though the audit dings Louisiana for failing to provide providers with clarity about program eligibility, it also suggests many of problems may not be solely the fault of the state agency's implementation. (AP NEWS)
