Medicare electronic health records (EHR) incentive payments to hospitals and health care professionals topped $6.3 billion for 2012 – more than twice the $2.3 billion awarded for 2011 -- according to a GAO report entitled Electronic Health Records: Number and Characteristics of Providers Awarded Medicare Incentive Payments for 2011-2012. The proportion of eligible hospitals and professionals receiving payments also grew from 2011 to 2011, with 48% of eligible hospitals (2,291) receiving payments in 2012 compared to 777 hospitals (16%) in 2011. For 2012, 31% of eligible professionals (183,712) were awarded payments, up from 10% (58,331) in 2011. Among hospitals and professionals awarded an incentive payment for 2012, the largest proportions were in the South, the smallest proportions were in the West, and a majority were in urban areas. More than four-fifths of the hospitals were acute care hospitals and three-fifths were nonprofit hospitals, while more than half of professionals were specialty practice physicians.
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