Meaningful Use 911 Webinar Follow Up
Meaningful Use 911 Webinar Follow Up & Resources Used
Our Meaningful Use 911 event last Friday was packed with useful information on the latest changes to the EHR Incentive Program.
If you want to watch the replay you can click here to view it.
The Power Point is also available here: Meaningful Use 911
For those of you that want to take a deeper dive into all the resources that were used we’ve put together links to the source documents for each of the main topics that were reviewed in the webinar.
Flexibility Rule:
This includes all the details on the proposal that passed allowing more options for providers that could not fully implement 2014 Edition CEHRT for the EHR reporting period in 2014 due to delays in 2014 Edition CEHRT availability. During the webinar we discussed a number of questions and concerns that providers had regarding the flexibility rule as well as CMS’s responses. These comments and responses from CMS offer great insight and clarification and are well worth the read if you have any questions regarding what would qualify a provider to use the CEHRT Options in 2014.
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/09/04/2014-21021/medicare-and-medicaid-programs-modifications-to-the-medicare-and-medicaid-electronic-health-record
CMS 2014 CEHRT Flexibility Rule Decision Tool:
This tool provides an easy way to find out what options are available to you for reporting in 2014. Answer a few simple questions:
1) What CEHRT Edition are you currently using?
2) What stage of meaningful use are you scheduled to meet for the 2014 reporting period? (You can determine your scheduled Stage for 2014 by using the EHR Participation Timeline Tool)
After answering the questions it kicks out the options that are available to you for your 2014 Meaningful Use Reporting.
https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/CEHRT_Rule_DecisionTool.pdf
Stage 1 Changes Tipsheet:
For providers that have the option of either reporting Stage 1 2013 Definitions versus Stage 1 2014 Definitions it is important to understand what the differences are between the two options. The Stage 1 Changes Tipsheet provides an outline of the changes that went into effect in 2014 for all providers (such as no longer being permitted to count an exclusion toward the minimum of 5 menu objectives) as well as an outline of the differences between Stage 1 2013 and Stage 1 2014.
https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/stage1changestipsheet.pdf
McKesson Practice Partner/LytecMD/Medisoft Clinical 2014 Clinical Quality Measures User’s Guide November 2014:
The latest CQM User’s Guide for v11 was just released. The guide includes some new measures as well as modifications to some of the existing measures. In the webinar we discussed the importance of reviewing the guide to make sure that you are configured appropriately for the changes so that the reports will capture the information your practice is tracking. CQM Report User’s Guide Nov 2014
EHR Incentives Program Supporting Documentation for Audits:
The reality of Meaningful Use Audits is that they are a matter of “When” not “If”. In the webinar we discussed the importance of retaining supporting documentation for 6 years post-attestation and took a look at some of the recommendations for supporting documentation for the “Yes” objectives (objectives that have no denominator and numerator and therefore no report that providers can generate from the system to support their attestation.)
http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/EHR_SupportingDocumentation_Audits.pdf
Clinical Decision Support Tipsheet:
Providers are required to implement “clinical decision support” in both Stage 1 and Stage 2 and to keep supporting documentation on how they met this objective. CMS has provided further clarification that clinical decision support is more than just “alerts”, and they have gone on to provide examples of clinical decision support is and what it is not.
http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/ClinicalDecisionSupport_Tipsheet-.pdf
Guide to Privacy and Security of Health Information:
We discussed the Meaningful Use requirement to complete a Security Risk Analysis each year, reviewed the myths and facts, and what a security risk analysis entails as outlined in this guide. AZCOMP Technologies Inc. feels that it is in a providers best interest to do a thorough and professional risk analysis that will stand up to a compliance review. If your practice needs assistance on this measure please contact us for a referral to a proven Security Risk Analysis Professional!
http://www.healthit.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/privacy/privacy-and-security-guide.pdf
Recent Change to the Security Risk Analysis Requirement:
In the webinar we discussed the recent change that allows providers to complete a security risk analysis any time during the EHR reporting year, as opposed to the old requirement that stated that the provider must complete it before or during the reporting period for the reporting year. We believe this will offer more flexibility for providers that, in light of the new flexibility rule, may consider reporting for an earlier reporting period in 2014 that may not have completed their Security Risk Analysis yet. Under this change providers could still complete the risk analysis by the end of the year regardless of which quarter they choose to attest under. https://questions.cms.gov/faq.php?faqId=10754
EHR Program Incentives and Penalties:
During the webinar we reviewed the incentives for participation and penalties for non-participation in both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Including the last years to begin participation.
http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Basics.html
Payment Adjustments & Hardship Exceptions Tipsheet for Eligible Professionals:
This document discusses the scheduled penalties that begin in 2015, how they are calculated, who is eligible, and how to apply for hardship.
http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/PaymentAdj_HardshipExcepTipSheetforEP.pdf
Re-Opened Hardship Application Period for 2015 Payment Adjustment:
Eligible professionals that have never met meaningful use before may apply during this reopened hardship exception application submission period if they were unable to fully implement 2014 Edition CEHRT due to delays in 2014 Edition CEHRT availability AND could not attest by the early attestation deadline for new participants. The new application deadline is November 30, 2014.
EHR Payment Adjustment Page: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/PaymentAdj_Hardship.html
2015 HARDSHIP EXCEPTION APPLICATION – due 11/30/2014: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/HardshipExtension_Application.pdf
We closed the webinar with a look ahead, reviewing what you should know about Stage 2:
- The reporting period for anyone scheduled for Stage 2 in 2015 is for the entire calendar year.
- There is a proposal to adjust the 2015 reporting period to a 3 month reporting period.
http://ellmers.house.gov/uploads/Flex-IT%20Act%20FINAL.pdf - As it stands today, Providers must be on a 2014 CEHRT prior to January 1, 2015.
- Many of the new measures require configuration and training.
- Some add-ons may be required and they take time to implement- don’t wait!
(Webview, Lab Interfaces, Immunization Interfaces, direct email accounts)
Thanks again to everyone that joined us, and remember if you have further questions or would like a personal review of your Meaningful Use readiness please contact us to schedule a meaningful use assessment or one-on-one training today!
Disclaimer: AZCOMP Technologies, Inc, (AZCOMP) is providing this material as an informational reference for eligible professionals. Although every reasonable effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information within these pages at the time of posting, the EHR Incentive program is constantly changing, and it is the responsibility of each provider to remain abreast of the EHR Incentive program requirements.
