CHIME Calls for Modifications to the standards of Meaningful Use Requirements

Providers express interest in reducing stressful and restrictive regulatory Meaningful Use requirements.

In the reaction to allegedly overzealous requirements for Medicare meaningful use, Medicaid meaningful use, and meaningful use measures under MIPS, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has released comments advocating for increased flexibility in meaningful use requirements.

The current meaningful use requirements or standards reportedly hinder optimization of information technology systems to make better patient care.

In its suggestions, CHIME called for a 90-day reporting period in the years of 2016 and 2017 for meaningful use requirements providers rather than the previously mandated full-year period as well as fewer requirements and lower thresholds for Medicare hospitals.

A ninety-day reporting period will enable providers to familiarize themselves with latest electronic health record (EHR) installations and technology.

Less stringent regulatory requirements will also enable providers to develop new technologies more freely and efficiently.

In the comments, CHIME emphasized “the complexity of overall reporting requirements Medicare providers and clinicians must meet is degrading their capability to optimize use of technology and has put them in a continual state of churn directed at meeting government requirements.”

A policy claiming a complete year of electronic clinical quality reporting (eCQMs) beginning in 2017 was a requirement CHIME deemed unsupportable, along with misaligned reporting periods for several programs that change in different years.

CHIME also took issue with the 3 sets of requirements CMS recognized as mandatory and suggested a single set of requirements to expedite efficient data exchange and aide private sector initiatives targeted at improving patient identification at a national level.

In accordance to the letter, Medicaid providers are hoped to meet Modified Stage 2 Requirements/Meaningful Use Stage 3, the changes executed in the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule, and the ACI performance category of MIPS modeled after meaningful use.

CHIME claimed these 3 distinct sets of requirements could be consolidated into one streamlined set, stating “we suggest CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) decrease the variability among the reporting programs and better synchronize the reporting requirements” as the present regulations might overwhelm providers.

In terms of reporting periods, CHIME asserts “reporting periods will be out of sync for Meaningful Use providers and MIPS clinicians” provided that meaningful use providers have a 90-day reporting period for the years of 2016 and 2017 while MIPS has a 90-day reporting period for 2017 and 2018, confusing several providers.

In light of recent complaints, CHIME recommended that CMS synchronize the reporting periods and change the 90-day reporting period from a 2-year stipulation to a permanent one.

Vendor readiness has also been flagged as problematic after members demonstrated they don’t anticipate getting their Version 2015 Certified EHR technology (CEHRT) before the year of 2018.

This delay could impact other CMS programs and put certain smaller providers at threat of missing a whole reporting year. Since CMS has made CEHRT compulsory for several programs, involving the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus (CPC+), CHIME suggested assessing whether vendors will have the capability to deliver essential products to providers in time to meet Stage 3 requirements in 2017 or 2018.

“CHIME again emphasizes CMS postpone requiring the use of Stage 3 / Stage 3-like measures until no earlier than the year of 2019,” the letter read, noting the disparate timelines.

CHIME also sees problems regarding interoperability in the coming years, maintaining they have “continuously advocated for the requirement for making better the state of interoperability.”

Stage 3 requirements in 2017 operate under a higher grade of interoperability than presently available.

CHIME also recommended a way to meet regulatory requirements and also improve interoperability.

“We suggest CMS work with ONC to make sure that a single set of standards are adopted to facilitate more seamless data exchange and provide support to private sector initiatives concentrated on improving patient identification at a national level.”