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September 26, 2011

October 3 is the Last day for Eligible Professionals to Begin their 90-Day Reporting Period for 2011

The last day that eligible professionals (EPs) can begin their 90-day reporting period in calendar year (CY) 2011 for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program is October 3, 2011. For EPs, this means that they must begin their consecutive 90-day reporting period by October 3 in order to attest to meeting meaningful use and be eligible to receive an incentive payment for CY 2011.

For EPs who have already completed their reporting period, CMS  (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services)  has a number of tools available to help prepare for attestation. EPs can use the CMS Eligible Professional Attestation Worksheet to record their meaningful use measures to have as a reference when attesting for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program in CMS' web-based Registration and Attestation System. The Meaningful Use Attestation Calculator and Attestation User Guide for Eligible Professionals can also help EPs to successfully attest to meeting meaningful use.

CMS encourages EPs not to miss the opportunity to participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program this year. Begin your reporting period by October 3rd to get on the path to payment for CY 2011.

April 8, 2011

State Level Registry experiences temporary delay

Because of the discovery of an error in the State Level Registry (SLR) on Friday, Medicaid has announced a short delay in order to conduct additional testing of the system. The registry is expected to be available on April 18. Read more 

March 31, 2011

Medicaid announces opening of State Level Registry

In the next few days, the Alabama Medicaid Agency will send instructions on how to apply for Medicaid’s Electronic Health Record (EHR) Meaningful Use Incentive Payment Program designed for physicians using certified health information technology in caring for Alabama Medicaid recipients. Read more.

CMS publishes final rule on criteria to achieve meaningful use
Starting in 2011, stimulus funding for electronic health records (EHRs) will be available for systems that meet certain criteria. The final regulations for Stage 1 meaningful use were published July 28, 2010, paving the way for eligible physicians to begin the process. Selecting the appropriate software must include consideration of the requirements of the final rule if a physician hopes to receive the incentive funds created under the HITECH Act. Read more 

Resources:
Meaningful Use Objectives and Associated Measures Sorted by Method of Measure Calculation  (Federal Register, July 28, 2010)
 

Qualify for financial incentives from the federal government
Eligible professionals who demonstrate meaningful use have the opportunity to receive incentive payments through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs – up to $44,000 from Medicare, or $63,750 from Medicaid. Providers can get started now with the help of financial incentives from the federal government. If they wait, those incentives may not be available. And financial penalties are scheduled to take effect in five years.

Build a sustainable medical practice
The next generation of healthcare professionals will expect and demand that their own medical facility home be equipped with a state-of-the-art information system. Becoming a meaningful user of electronic health records will allow providers who are building their practices to recruit and retain talented young clinicians.

Improve the safety and quality of health care
The meaningful use of electronic health records will help healthcare providers and hospitals offer higher quality and safer care. By adopting electronic health records in a meaningful way, providers and hospitals can:
• See the whole picture. All of a patient’s health information – medical history, diagnoses, medications, lab and test results – is in one place. Providers don’t have to settle for a snapshot when they can have the entire album.
• Coordinate care. Providers involved in a patient’s care can access, enter, and share information in an electronic health record.
• Make better decisions. With more comprehensive health information at their fingertips, providers can make better testing, diagnostic and treatment decisions.
• Save time and money. Providers who have implemented electronic health records say they spend less time searching for paper charts, transcribing, calling labs or pharmacies, reporting, and fixing coding errors.

Instructions for obtaining the CMS EHR Certification Number

1. Go online to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) website
2. Select your practice type
3. Browse all ambulatory products
4. Search by product name, vendor name or ONC certification number
5. Find your vendor or product and click “Add to Cart”
6. Click “View Cart”
7. Click on “Get CMS EHR Certification ID”
8. Enter the certification number in the CMS EHR Incentive Program registration module

Note: You must be registered on the national site before registering on the Alabama site.

EMR Certification
The Certification Commission is a recognized certification body for electronic health records and their networks, and a private, nonprofit initiative.

Their mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating an efficient, credible and sustainable certification program.

Click here to see CCHIT certified products