The federal government has set up a web portal for physicians to sign up for electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs.

in order to receive incentive payments for implementing and using an EHR system, physicians must enroll in the programs offered through Medicare or Medicaid. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the provider enrollment portal on Jan. 3.

The provider enrollment portal, which includes step-by-step instructions, can be found by clicking on "Registration and Attestation" On the CMS website.

All physicians will register using this portal, regardless of whether they are planning to access the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, or the Medi-Cal Incentive Program. Physicians planning to access Medi-Cal, however, will also have to register with the State of California. The website for state registration is not scheduled to be activated until Feb. 1.

For more information on the Medicare and Medi-Cal EHR incentive programs, visit CMA's Health Information Technology (HIT) Resource Center.