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Medicaid Agencies Train on Medicaid SLR for the EHR Incentive Program

February 3-8, 2013 - The State Medicaid Agencies from the U.S. Territories participated in a week-long training in the use of the State Level Registry (SLR) that is required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program to exchange data with the National Level Repository (NLR) of the CMS.

After registration with the NLR, the SLR is a system which enables the Eligible Hospitals and Eligible Providers (EPs) to submit information to the State Medicaid Agencies when attesting for the CMS EHR Incentive program. The State Medicaid Agencies then audit the information submitted by the providers. Following the audit, the SMA submits payment requests to the CMS.

The training was provided by Carla Mitchell of the State of Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services in partnership with Christina Higa, Kaina Lingaton, and Ginger Porter of the Telecommunications and Social Informatics (TASI) Program of the University of Hawaii.

Just prior to the training, Kaina Lingaton and Karthick Jenadoss completed the final testing of the CNMI State Level Registry with Joshua Volosov and the technical team of the CMS. Providers in the CNMI are now able to register and attest for the Medicaid EHR Incentive program.

The CNMI Team included Helen Sablan (Director), Kimberley Borja, Cid Mostales, Remy Reyes, and Kayleen Sablan. The Guam SMA was represented by Theresa Arcangel (Director) and Janet B. Cruz. American Samoa was represented by Dianne Leomiti, Pou Fau, and Chris Andales.

The training was comprehensive and intensive immersed the Medicaid professionals in the programmatic and technical aspects of the SLR; including, a review of Meaningful Use, Eligible Hospital calculations, Eligible Provider requirements, and other important topics.

At the end of the training, Helen Sablan expressed her appreciation to the State of Kentucky for sharing the use of its software at no cost and to Nicholas Blake of the CMS for inviting the State Medicaid Agencies in the Pacific Islands to learn about the Kentucky SLR which is now also being used by 6 other States. Ms. Sablan also thanked Joshua Volosov of the CMS for his responsiveness in working with the CNMI to establish the links between the CNMI SLR and the CMS NLR.