Earlier this year, CMS and the ONC released a proposed bill for the EHR Incentive Programs.  In August of 2014 they finalized this bill.  If you have a spare hour or two, and want to read the bill, click here.

To help clear up any confusion over which certification year (2011 or 2014) a practice should use,  CMS has created a Quick Reference Guide that helps to clear up any questions you may have about what to do this year.  Time is ticking by, and realistically if a practice hasn't started its reporting quarter, October 3rd would be the final date to start.

Remember-2014 is the LAST year an EP can begin to receive incentives.  As stated in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, no incentives can be paid to Medicare EPs that begin MU after 2014.  EPs that start MU in 2014 could still earn as much as $24,000 in incentives if they demonstrate MU from 2014 through 2016.

2014 meaningful use performance is the basis for 2016 Medicare payment adjustments. For EPs this potentially means a -2% reduction to the Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) amount for covered professional services furnished by the EP during 2016 (EP tip sheet). The payment adjustment calculation for EHs and CAHs is a little more complicated and different for each. 

Here’s a link to CMS’ EH/CAH tip sheet.

-Kelly Meeks
www.sunrize.com

New CMS rule allows flexibility in certified EHR technology for 2014

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a final rule on August 29, 2014, that allows health care providers more flexibility in how they use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology (CEHRT) to meet meaningful use for an EHR Incentive Program reporting period for 2014. By providing this flexibility, more providers will be able to participate and meet important meaningful use objectives like drug interaction and drug allergy checks, providing clinical summaries to patients, electronic prescribing, reporting on key public health data and reporting on quality measures.

“We listened to stakeholder feedback and provided CEHRT flexibility for 2014 to help ensure providers can continue to participate in the EHR Incentive Programs forward,” said Marilyn Tavenner, CMS administrator. “We were excited to see that there is overwhelming support for this change.”

Based on public comments and feedback from stakeholders, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) identified ways to help eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) implement and meaningfully use Certified EHR Technology. Specifically, eligible providers can use the 2011 Edition CEHRT or a combination of 2011 and 2014 Edition CEHRT for an EHR reporting period in 2014 for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs; All eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and CAHs are required to use the 2014 Edition CEHRT in 2015.

These updates to the EHR Incentive Programs support HHS’ commitment to implementing an effective health information technology infrastructure that elevates patient-centered care, improves health outcomes, and supports the providers that care for patients.

The rule also finalizes the extension of Stage 2 through 2016 for certain providers and announces the Stage 3 timeline, which will begin in 2017 for providers who first became meaningful EHR users in 2011 or 2012.

See the full press release here:  http://cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2014-Press-releases-items/2014-08-29.html

See the EHR Incentive Programs 2014 CEHRT Ruke: Quick Guide here:  http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/CEHRT2014_FinalRule_QuickGuide.pdf

See the CEHRT Flexibility Decision Tool here:  http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/CEHRT_Rule_DecisionTool.pdf