Netgain

With the CMS Final Rule for Meaningful Use about to be released, the question you need to be asking yourself is, are you ready? It has been easy to be in the mindset of taking a break from the craziness of the Meaningful Use Program but the time is drawing near for the final rule to be published and the reporting period to start if you haven’t already.

The proposed rule will allow providers to report for any 90 day period but you shouldn’t wait until the last quarter to get everything in order.

The deadline is fast approaching to file for a Hardship Exception to avoid the 2016 Medicare EHR payment adjustment. If your provider successfully attested for the 2014 reporting period, you do not have to file an application. If a provider did not successfully demonstrate meaningful use in 2014 in either the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, it will result in a reduction of 2% to the physician fee schedule amounts for the 2016 payment year. The deadline for filing a Hardship Exception Application is by 11:59 PM EDT on July 1, 2015 for all eligible professionals.

There is a new bill (SGR-Sustainable growth rate) that has been passed and includes a new incentive program called the Merit-based Incentive Payment (MIPS). This incentive program essentially rolls together and is intended to harmonize three existing quality-incentive programs: the EHR incentive program, the Physician Quality Reporting System, and the Value-based payment modifier established under the Affordable Care Act.

On Friday, April 10^th, CMS released a 210 page document outlining the long awaited proposed rule for the 2015 reporting year. CMS originally announced their intention to do so in January but did not state many specifics at that time. This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on April 15, 2015. It will also be available online at http://federalregister.gov/a/2015-08514, and on FDsys.gov.   

There is one task that must be completed not later than December 31st, 2014 in order to be successful for the 2015 Meaningful Use reporting period.  For everyone who is attesting for their second year of Meaningful Use and beyond, next year is currently scheduled to be a full year.

As many of you may have heard, Congresswoman Renee Ellmers introduced the Flexibility in Health IT Reporting (Flex-IT) Act of 2014 to the U.S. House of Representatives on September 16, 2014. This act would over-ride the CMS final rule requiring a full (365 day) year of EHR meaningful use reporting and has prompted a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm amongst administrators and providers across all of America. The problem is that there is no clear picture as to when this legislation will be voted on or if it will pass.

Late on Friday August 29th the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the final rule that allows healthcare providers more flexibility in how they use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology (CEHRT) to meet meaningful use for the EHR Incentive Program reporting period for 2014.  This final rule is basically unchanged from the proposed rule that was first announced in May and is scheduled to be published with the Federal Register on September 4, 2014.

Technology is ever-evolving, and as a result the industries which rely on technology the most need to be able to evolve as well.  Healthcare IT is no exception.  As of 2014, the ONC has issued a set of standards and requirements which all healthcare practices must follow.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are transforming the American healthcare system into a more robust, high-quality, patient-centric, and more affordable system.  The US government has undertaken various initiatives helping physicians and other healthcare providers utilize lifesaving technology with really promising results.  As of 2013, 72 percent of office-based physicians are employing some type of EHR software to improve outcomes.

Things change frequently in the world of healthcare, and it looks like the new 2015 EHR Meaningful Use guidelines are no exception to this axiom.  On February 21, The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released details of the proposed voluntary 2015 version of EHR regulations.  This new approach represents a change to the way that the ONC will regulate the meaningful use of electronic health records.