Medi-Cal: electronic records.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which basic health care services are provided to qualified low-income persons. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. This bill, until July 1, 2021, and only to the extent that federal participation is available, would require the department to establish and administer the Medi-Cal Electronic Health Records Incentive Program to provide federal incentive payments to Medi-Cal providers for the implementation and use of electronic health records systems. The bill would require the department to develop the State Medicaid Health Information Technology Plan, as specified, for federal approval, and would require the department to accept applications from, and make incentive payments to, eligible professionals and facilities that meet all of the standards of the federal Electronic Health Record Technology Program. The bill would require the department to provide annual reports to appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature and the Legislative Analyst's Office within 30 days of the close of each fiscal year, commencing July 1, 2012, on the implementation of this program. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.