EMR funding

EMR funding

The Physician Agreement provides financial assistance to physicians who implement and operate Electronic Medical Records (EMRs).

2023 Physician Agreement changes

As per the 2023 Physician Agreement, EMR grants (A, B, C) will continue to be available, however, EMR grants B and C will become part of the Longitudinal Family Medicine (LFM) payment model base salary when it launches in Oct. 2023.

The EMR grant program will be reviewed after the contract has been ratified but before 2024 payments are issued to identify ways to reduce administrative burden associated with the current program design and parameters.

The Physician Agreement Management Group will review the EMR program as the transition to One Person One Record (OPOR) begins, recognizing that all parties are supportive of OPOR and wish to support its successful implementation.


The Physician Agreement offers three types of EMR funding.

One-Time EMR Investment Grant (Envelope A)

This one-time grant is to assist physicians in the adoption of an EMR system and is be paid upon implementation. 

EMR Participation Grant (Envelope B )

This grant will help offset the investments of time and effort by you and your staff in educational and peer-support activities. You will receive this grant for any fiscal year in which you have invested at least four hours in EMR participation events and activities (a self-assessment is required).

EMR Utilization Grant (Envelope C)

This grant is to encourage and reward you financially for the extent of your efforts in the use of the EMR in your practice. The funding available depends on the usage of the EMR system and the pool of funding available. The average payment in 2020-21 was approximately $5,200. 

To receive this grant, you must complete a self-assessment application; your individual score is compared to the rest of the applicants’ scores. To be eligible, you must have implemented an EMR by March 31 and have billed (or shadow billed) a minimum of $30,000 in MSI billings within an EMR in the 12 months up to March 31.

The EMR participation and utilization grants (Envelopes B and C) are slated to convert to fees . Until they do, the grant programs continue as is.

The EMR grant application takes place annually, typically launched in May.

 

Contact

Brent Andrews
E-health advisor
902-225-8577
Jyllian Cress
E-health policy advisor
902-830-2474
1-800-563-3427