Meaningful Use Well Check
Time for your end of the year Meaningful Use Well Check 🙂
As 2014 is drawing to a close the window of opportunity is also closing for meeting Meaningful Use requirements in 2014. This year we have seen changes to the EHR Incentive Program as well as updates released for the software. Missing any of these changes could put your practice in jeopardy of not qualifying for meaningful use. Please take a few moments to review some of the basics to make sure your practice is still on track to successfully attesting for 2014!
Review the Flexibility Rule:
CMS is allowing practices that have not had sufficient time to fully implement the 2014 Certified Electronic Health Records Technology (CEHRT), due to delays in availability, the options to attest using 2011 CEHRT. If you qualify for the CEHRT Options under the flexibility rule, determine which Stage you will attest for this year:
- Stage 1 2013 Definition
- Stage 1 2014 Definition
- Stage 2
For an overview of how to determine if you are eligible for the flexibility rule review: Meaningful Use 911 Webinar
Run your Performance Metric Reports
Run your performance metric reports regularly to ensure you are meeting the thresholds! Remember in v11 you can use the drill down capability in the reports to identify which patients are not included in your numerators. In many cases it will not be too late to make corrections in the patient’s chart to ensure that the data is captured properly so that it can be reflected in your performance metrics report.
Review Menu Objectives
Review Menu objectives to ensure you have the right number to report! CMS is no longer allowing users to claim an exemption and have that count towards their total required menu objectives. If you have claimed an exemption in the past make sure you have selected an additional menu objective to attest to this year. For providers in Stage 1 that may find they are short a measure, it is not too late to send out patient reminders and we have a free webinar you can watch to teach you how to do it!
Providers attesting for Stage 1 2014 Definition or Stage 2 must have a patient portal (Webview)
For more information on changes effective this year, view the following CMS document: 2014 Changes Tipsheet
Review CQM Reports
Providers attesting to Stage 1 2014 Definition or Stage 2 must report 9 CQMs this year. Many CQMs require configuration. Some issues have been identified with the CQM reports in v11, please make sure you are on the latest update of the report so you can ensure you are getting the most accurate numbers, contact support right away if you need updates.
For more information review our recent blog post: New Clinical Quality Measures (CQM) Manual Released!
Ensure that you have supporting documentation for the Yes/No Attestation measures
Ensure that you have supporting documentation for the Yes/No Attestation measures. Not all measures have a threshold and therefore there is no performance metric the system can produce on a report to indicate whether the provider met the measure. CMS recommends keeping supporting documentation for each of the Yes/No attestation measures that the provider attests to. Providers should keep copied of supporting documentation for 6 years post attestation in case of an audit. Yes/No Measures include:
| Objective | Audit Validation | Recommended Supporting Documentation |
| Drug-Drug/Drug-Allergy Interaction Checks | Functionality is available, enabled, and active in the system for the duration of the EHR reporting period. | One or more screenshots from the certified EHR system that are dated during the EHR reporting period selected for attestation. |
| Clinical Decision Support | Functionality is available, enabled, and active in the system for the duration of the EHR reporting period. | One or more screenshots from the certified EHR system that are dated during the EHR reporting period selected for attestation. |
| Protect Electronic Health Information | Security risk analysis of the certified EHR technology was performed prior to the end of the reporting year | Copy of a completed security risk analysis that was conducted during the calendar year the provider is attesting for. It can be performed outside of the reporting period but must be completed no earlier than the first of the year, and no later than the last day of the year. |
| Drug Formulary Checks | Functionality is available, enabled, and active in the system for the duration of the EHR reporting period. | One or more screenshots from the certified EHR system that are dated during the EHR reporting period selected for attestation. |
| Generate Lists of Patients by Specific Conditions | One report listing patients of the provider with a specific condition. | Report from the certified EHR system that is dated during the EHR reporting period selected for attestation. |
| Immunization Registries·Data Submission, and Syndromic Surveillance Data Submission | One test of certified EHR technology’s capacity to submit electronic data and follow-up submission if the test is successful. |
|
| Exclusions | Documentation to support each exclusion to a measure claimed bythe provider. | Report from the certified EHR system that shows a zero denominator for the measure or otherwise documents that the provider qualifies for the exclusion. |
Preparing for Attestation
A few tools that can help you prepare for your attestation are the CMS attestation worksheets and the attestation calculators that allow you to practice attesting to see if you are passing before submitting your actual attestation:
| Stage | Worksheet | Calculator |
| Stage 1 2013 Definition | Attestation Worksheet Stage 1 (2013) | Stage 1 Calculator |
| Stage 1 2014 Definition | Attestation Worksheet Stage 1 (2014) | Stage 1 Calculator |
| Stage 2 | Attestation Worksheet Stage 2 | Stage 2 Calculator |
Look Ahead!
Just a reminder, as it stands today the reporting period for 2015 is a full calendar year for all providers that have previously participated in the EHR Incentive program. All providers are required to be on the 2014 CERT for the entire reporting period. If you are scheduled for Stage 2 in 2015 please ensure that you have taken proper steps to configure your EHR for the new objectives and requirements.
We are here to help!
If you need assistance with any of the checklist items above please contact us immediately to schedule time with a trainer. The timeframe is limited and schedules are filling up so do not delay!
We know the amount of work each of you have put into making changes to your practice in order to meet meaningful use objectives, and congratulate each of you for taking the steps to ensure your patients are receiving the BEST care!
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.
