An app from developer Drchrono is the first in the US to qualify for a federal incentive scheme. Doctors who download the developers’ electronic medical record (EMR) app for the Apple iPad will receive US$44,000 or more in government incentives.

The EMR app enables doctors to store and track patient data. The Hitech Act in the US specifies that doctors can qualify for US$44,000 or more in economic stimulus incentives in return for adopting a certified EMR. Drchrono’s app is the first to receive a government certification.

“The certification could be a good first step towards finally arriving at an EMR solution that will actually have a broad appeal,” says GigaOm. Drchrono CEO and founder Michael Nusimov (pictured) told the publication that the certification “transforms” the company’s app and the iPad into a “potentially affordable platform” that could drive usage and adoption of EMRs.