Important EHR Incentive Program Announcements

Registration and Attestation System and EHR Information Center are Unavailable This Weekend; July 3rd is an Eligible Hospital Deadline

Attestation and Registration System and EHR Information Center Availability

The Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs Registration and Attestation System will be affected by planned system maintenance starting Friday, June 29th, 12:00 AM ET, through Monday, July 2nd, 7:00 AM ET. Throughout this maintenance window, eligible professionals and eligible hospitals will not be able to register or attest for the EHR Incentive Programs. 

Because of this system maintenance, the EHR Information Center staff will be unable to assist incoming calls relating to registration, attestation, and payment statuses. However, the recently enhanced Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system will be available. The IVR is able to provide registration, attestation and payment status along with a growing list of other self-service options.

 

The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs Registration and Attestation System and the EHR Information Center will resume regular operations on Monday, July 2 at 7:00 AM ET.

 

Deadline Reminder

Tuesday, July 3rd, is the last day for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to begin their 90-day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. Visit the Attestation page for more information.

 

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?

Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.

New Meaningful Use FAQ for EPs

CMS Has Added an Important New FAQ for EPs on Using Hospital EHR Modules for Meaningful Use

We want to help keep you updated with information on the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. CMS has recently added a new FAQ that discusses the ability for eligible professionals (EPs) in the EHR Incentive Programs to use hospital EHR modules to achieve meaningful use. Take a minute and review the new FAQ below.

 

Question: Can an EP use EHR technology certified for an inpatient setting to meet a meaningful use objective and measure?

 

Answer: Yes. For objectives and measures where the capabilities and standards of EHR technology designed and certified for an inpatient setting are equivalent to or require more information than EHR technology designed and certified for an ambulatory setting, an EP can use the EHR technology designed and certified for an inpatient setting to meet an objective and measure.  There are some EP objectives, however, that have no corollary on the inpatient side. As a result, an EP must possess Certified EHR Technology designed for an ambulatory setting for such objectives.  Please reference ONC FAQ 12-10-021-1 and 9-10-017-2 and CMS FAQ 10162 for discussions on what it means to possess Certified EHR Technology, ONC FAQ 6-12-025-1 for a list of affected capabilities and standards, and how that relates to the exclusion and deferral options of meaningful use.

 

You can find this FAQ in the CMS FAQ system (CMS FAQ system) by searching for it by FAQ number. Type in 6421 in the “FAQ # Search” box found at the top, left side of the FAQ page.  Choose the “FAQ #” option by clicking the circle and highlighting it in blue.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?

Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.

Announcement: More Than 100,000 Providers Paid for EHR Participation

CMS and ONC Announce Over 100,000 Providers Have Been Paid Under the EHR Incentive Programs

Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced that over 100,000 health care providers have been paid under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. 

Only three months ago, CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner and National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, wrote a blog post, 2012: The Year of Meaningful Use, which declared the goal for getting 100,000 health care providers to adopt, implement, upgrade, or demonstrate meaningful use of EHRs by the end of 2012. 

According to Acting Administrator Tavenner, "Meeting this goal so early in the year is a testament to the commitment of everyone who has worked hard to meet the challenges of integrating EHRs and health information technology into clinical practice." 

As of the end of May 2012:

 

Providers Paid Information

• More than 110,000 eligible professionals and more than 2,400 eligible hospitals have been paid by the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.


• Approximately 48 percent of all eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals in the U.S. have received an incentive payment for adopting, implementing, upgrading, or demonstrating meaningful use of an EHR.


• One out of every five Medicare and Medicaid eligible professionals in the U.S. has received an incentive payment for adopting, implementing, upgrading, or demonstrating meaningful use of an EHR.

Payment Information

• Over $5.7 billion in EHR Incentive Program payments have been made as of the end of May 2012.


• More than $3 billion in Medicare EHR Incentive Program payments were made between May 2011 (when the first payments were released) and the end of May 2012.


• More than $2.6 billion in Medicaid EHR Incentive Program payments were made between January 2011 (when the first states launched their programs) and the end of May 2012.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs? 

Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs, and view the press release and May monthly report by visiting the Data and Reports page of the website.

Save the Date: ONC-CMS Provider Call on Certified EHR Technology on June 27

Register for CMS and ONC's Joint National Provider Call on Using Certified EHR Technology to Meet Meaningful Use

CMS and ONC are holding a joint National Provider Call on Wednesday, June 27, from 2:00 – 3:30 pm ET for eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals to hear an overview of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, and learn about the use of certified EHR technology to meet meaningful use. 

Topics that will be covered on the call include:

• Overview of the EHR Incentive Programs


• Different types of certification and what it tests


• Which EHR products are certified


• Helpful resources


• Questions and answers with CMS and ONC experts

The presentation for this call will be posted at least one day beforehand. In addition, the presentation will be emailed to all registrants on the day of the call. 

In order to receive the call-in information, you must register for the call. Registration will close at 12pm on the day of the call or when available space has been filled; no exceptions will be made, so please register early. 

As of April 30, $5 billion has been paid in EHR incentives under both programs. This is the last year Medicare EPs can begin to participate to earn the full Medicare EHR incentive payments. Register today! 

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?

Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.

New EHR Testimonial Videos Posted to the CMS YouTube Channel

Take a Look at CMS' EHR Testimonial Videos from the 2012 HIMSS Annual Conference

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted a series of new videos to the CMS YouTube channel featuring health care professionals' experiences with electronic health records (EHRs) and the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

 

CMS spoke with ten conference attendees at the 2012 HIMSS Annual Conference this past February and filmed discussions with health care professionals who are participating in the EHR Incentive Programs. Provider testimonial videos, like Dr. John Bender's EHR Story from the 2012 HIMSS Conference, highlight the experiences of providers and health care professionals with the EHR Incentive Programs and how they navigated the different steps of the programs.  

 

CMS previously filmed testimonials of attendees at the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Annual Medical Conference and Exposition and of the experiences of providers who have received their incentive payments for 2011. Watch the videos to listen to their stories and learn how their experiences may be similar to your own.

 

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?

Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.

Update on CMS FAQ System

Learn How to Use CMS' Updated FAQ System to get on the Path to Payment for the EHR Incentive Programs

CMS has upgraded the frequently asked questions (FAQs) section of their website. The EHR Incentive Programs’ FAQs are now incorporated in the same page as other CMS program FAQs.

New and Old FAQ Numbers

CMS has tagged FAQs in the new system with two sets of FAQ numbers. You can now identify an FAQ by its old FAQ number (listed after the word “Keywords” below the answer of the FAQ) or its new FAQ number (at the very bottom of the FAQ in parentheses).

Finding FAQs

There are a few different ways to find EHR Incentive Programs FAQs:

1. Click on the Topic: Electronic Health Records Incentive Programs on the blue navigation panel  on the left side of the FAQ page
   
   
   
   1. Click on the Subtopic of your choice, such as “Getting Started” or “Registration and Attestation,” to see the FAQs related to that area of the programs
   
   
   
   


2. Search for your FAQ in the system
   
   
   
   1. Enter a search term such as “EHR” in the Search box on the top, left side of the FAQ page.
   
   
   2. Use the new FAQ numbers
      
      
      
      1. Enter the new FAQ number in the “FAQ # Search” box found at the top, left side of the FAQ page.  Choose the “FAQ #” option by clicking the circle and highlighting it in blue.
         
         
         
         • If you have already read an FAQ and noted the new number (in parentheses at the bottom of the FAQ), use that number as a reference to quickly find it again
         
         
         
         
      
      
      
      
   
   
   3. Use the old FAQ numbers
      
      
      
      1. Enter the old FAQ number (listed after “Keywords” below the FAQ answer) in the “Text Search box” found at the top, left side of the FAQ page. Choose the “Text” option.
         
      
      
      
      
   
   
   
   

Note: You cannot search by old FAQ number in the “FAQ # Search” box. However, you can search by old FAQ numbers in the “Text Search” box.

You can also download a PDF of all the FAQs for the EHR Incentive Program. Go to the FAQ page on the EHR Incentive Programs website and click the link under the Downloads section at the bottom of the page.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?

Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.