The Medicare electronic health record (EHR) incentive program is vulnerable to paying incentives to professionals and hospitals that do not fully meet meaningful use requirements due to gaps in CMS oversight, according to a recent OIG report. Based on a review of CMS’s oversight of self-reported meaningful use of certified EHR technology in 2011, the OIG found that CMS did not have strong prepayment or postpayment safeguards. The OIG also noted that CMS cannot use EHR reports to verify all self-reported meaningful use information because the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) does not require certified EHR technology to be capable of producing reports for all measures. As a result of these findings, the OIG recommends that CMS: (1) obtain and review supporting documentation from selected professionals and hospitals prior to payment to verify self-reported information (although CMS argued that this would increase the burden on providers); and (2) issue more detailed guidance on documentation requirements (CMS agreed). The report also contained recommendations for ONC, including recommendations that the agency: (1) require that certified EHR technology be capable of producing reports for yes/no meaningful use measures where possible; and (2) improve the certification process for EHR technology to ensure accurate EHR reports (ONC concurred with both recommendations). For more information, see the full report, “Early Assessment Finds That CMS Faces Obstacles in Overseeing the Medicare EHR Incentive Program."