The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System portal went live on Monday, representing a major step in the health information technology landscape.

The portal allows eligible hospitals and eligible professionals to register and participate in meeting Stage 1 meaningful use criteria.

Although registration for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program begins today not all states are ready to participate.

Registration is open today in the following states:

• Alaska
• Iowa
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Oklahoma
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas

Registration will be open to the following states in February 2011:

• California
• Missouri
• North Dakota

Other states likely will launch their Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs during the spring and summer of 2011.

On the CMS website participants are being urged to register, even if their EHR has not yet been certified, and even if do not have an enrollment record in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS).

The CMS website also provides user guides for registration and attestation with information about completing modules, a list of EHR technology that is certified for the program, specification sheets with additional information on each meaningful use objective, and other general resources.

To use the portal Eligible Professionals (EPs) must have an active National Provider Identifier (NPI) and have a National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) Web user account. EPs will use their NPPES user ID and password to log into the registration system.

For Eligible Hospitals registering on the system an active NPI is also required. Users working on behalf of an Eligible Hospital must have an Identity and Access Management system Web user account and be associated to an organization NPI to register.

"In the month of January, there will be a significant focus placed on the entities that are registering for the program and starting their EHR reporting period, but ultimately, all providers treating patients covered by Medicare will need to register," said John Glaser, CEO of the Health Services Business Unit of Siemens Healthcare, in a statement applauding the portal's going live.

"It is important to note that this process is still new and, in many cases, it will be months before CMS determinations of actual meaningful users are revealed and facilities begin to see incentive payments," Glaser added. "No matter what the outcome, we applaud those who are willing to publicly acknowledge their commitment to the betterment of patient care through their innovative use of health IT."