October 3: Important Deadline for Medicare EHR Incentive Program EPs

October 3 is the Last Day for EPs to begin 90-day reporting period for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program

Wednesday, October 3rd marks two important deadlines for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program:

1. The last day for eligible professionals (EPs) to begin their 90-day reporting period for calendar year (CY) 2012 for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. For EPs, this means that they must begin their consecutive 90-day reporting period by October 3rd in order to attest to meeting meaningful use and be eligible to receive an incentive payment for CY 2012. 


2. The last day Medicare EPs can start participating and receive their maximum possible Medicare incentive payment. This is the last year that EPs can begin participation in the EHR Incentive Program and get the full Medicare incentives of $44,000 per EP. If first-year Medicare EPs have not started their 90-day reporting period by October 3rd, they will not be eligible for a CY 2012 payment, and can only receive $39,000 in Medicare incentives if they successfully participate in 2013.  

For more information on how incentive payments are distributed, take a look at the EHR Basics page of the newly updated EHR website. For EPs who have already completed their reporting period, CMS has a number of tools available to help prepare for attestation, including the Meaningful Use Attestation Calculator and Attestation User Guide for Eligible Professionals. 

CMS encourages EPs not to miss the opportunity to participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program this year and receive the maximum incentive payment.

Looking Ahead

Take a look at all of the other EHR Incentive Program important dates that are coming up by going to our Health Information Technology Timeline.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?

Make sure to visit the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs websitefor the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.

Doing Nothing About CVD Will Cost $47 Trillion

September 17, 2012 (Geneva, Switzerland) — One year after a United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) that set a target of reducing premature mortality by 25% by the year 2025, the major cardiovascular societies across the globe have come together to publicize the important steps that now need to be taken to achieve this goal, given that CVD accounts for nearly half of all NCD deaths [1].

"What was agreed upon a year ago was a major step forward. This is a coming together, a coalescence--at least between the societies and foundations worldwide--looking at how we can work together and with the World Health Organization [WHO] to move beyond the 25% target, to see how we can actually get there," president of the World Heart Federation, Dr Sidney Smith (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill), told heartwire in an interview. "We are putting some teeth into the jaws of what can happen," says Smith, who is lead author of a new paper outlining the main objectives in the fight to prevent deaths from heart disease and stroke, published simultaneously today in a number of journals, including Circulation, the European Heart Journal, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, and Global Heart.

Doing nothing is going to cost the world $47 trillion in the next 25 years, including $500 billion a year in low- and middle-income countries, where 80% of deaths from CVD now occur.

"This statement reflects the desires of the leaders from the major CVD societies to say, 'We are on board, and these are the measures we think can really make a difference,' " he says.

And Smith notes that detailing how much it will cost countries if they fail to act on CVD prevention and treatment is vital. "Doing nothing is going to cost the world $47 trillion in the next 25 years, including $500 billion a year in low- and middle-income countries, where 80% of deaths from CVD now occur," Smith observes. In contrast, estimates by the WHO of how much it will cost to implement various measures they have recommended vary between just $11 billion and $13 billion a year, he says.

Look at "Best-Buy" Targets as a Menu; Effective Surveillance Is Key

The WHO has now identified a core set of 10 low-cost strategies called "best buys" to address NCDs, including, for example, a 25% relative reduction in prevalence of hypertension, 30% relative reduction in mean population intake of salt, and a 30% relative reduction in prevalence of tobacco smoking.

It's important to have all the best buys, but it's not necessary for each country to do all of them.

"But we have to balance several considerations," Smith notes. "The more people have to do, the less likely it is they are going to get everything done. It's important to have all the best buys, but it's not necessary for each country to do all of them. Let's have each country decide on specific areas," he says, although he urges that this still requires treading carefully. "If you eliminate targets on obesity, for example, do you send the wrong message?

"We have to look at the targets as a menu, and every country around the world will have to ask, 'What are the big problems in our country?' If you go to China, it's hypertension, sodium, and smoking. If we are going to choose three where we invest our money, let's choose the ones that are most appropriate."

It will also be important that any outcomes from the actions chosen can be effectively measured, he says. "Many countries just don't have the data, so getting good surveillance in place is critical."

Getting Everyone Involved Is Imperative

Also vital is the involvement of the right personnel in each place, he says, including physicians, who need to become more politically active to help achieve these aims. "And it's important to note that almost everywhere there have been successes, there has been a committed government leader. But it's not going to be just a minister of health you need to engage, it is agriculture and finance too," he observes.

Smith goes on to give one simple example of how revenue could be generated to achieve the aims laid out, citing a calculation made by Bill Gates [2]. "If we were to tax cigarettes 10¢ per pack in developed nations, 6¢ per pack in middle-income nations, and 2¢ per pack in those with a lower income, it would result in $10.8 billion a year that could be used to save millions of lives."

We do have a chance, and one that we cannot afford to miss. This is an epidemic that need not happen.

And lessons can be learned from other campaigns too, he notes--for example, with regard to availability of medications. "Statins are generic, aspirin is inexpensive, and there are cheap medicines for high blood pressure. In the same way we started talking about the ways we could get medications for HIV/AIDS available, let's do it for somebody who's had a stroke or heart attack or somebody who's at very high risk, and that ought to be a focus if we are really going to get a 25% reduction [in mortality] by 2025."

CVD is striking down people in their prime in developing nations, "in their 40s and 50s, people with jobs and families, resulting in crippling blows for countries that are trying to advance," Smith stresses. "With the UN behind this, reporting from every country in the world, we do have a chance, and one that we cannot afford to miss. This is an epidemic that need not happen."

HHS Celebrates Meaningful Use Day

New CMS/ONC Blog Post Celebrates Meaningful Use Day of National Health IT Week; Discusses Importance of Meaningful Use 

This week, September 10 – 14, is the seventh annual National Health Information Technology Week, a collaborative forum where industry leaders come together to discuss health IT and the pivotal role it can play in transforming the nation's health care system. From consumer engagement to privacy and security, each day of Health IT Week focuses on a specific theme.

 

Tuesday, September 11th was designated as Meaningful Use Day and highlighted the potential of EHRs—used in a meaningful way—to contribute to more coordinated, efficient, and effective health care. 

 

Robert Tagalicod, Director, Office of E-Health Standards and Services, CMS, Mat Kendall, Director, Office of Provider Adoption Support, ONC, and Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, co-authored a blog post, Now is the Time for Meaningful Use, discussing the importance of meaningful use and the successes of the EHR Incentive Programs to date.

 

On August 23, 2012, CMS issued the final rule for Stage 2 of meaningful use for the EHR Incentive Programs, which builds upon the initial progress of the incentive programs, while introducing new criteria that are designed to improve patient safety and quality of care. Some of the most significant changes in Stage 2 focus on patient engagement and health information exchange.

 

Meaningful use improves patient care, increases care coordination, and empowers patients to become active partners in their health and health care. 

 

Find out more about the changes in the Stage 2 rule on the Stage 2 page of the EHR website.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?

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

Join the CMS National Provider Call on September 13

Register for the September 13 CMS National Provider Call on Stage 2

On August 23, 2012, CMS issued the final rule for Stage 2 of the EHR Incentive Programs, which builds upon the initial progress of the Incentive Programs, while introducing new criteria that are designed to improve patient safety and quality of care.

 

On Thursday, September 13, 2012, from 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET, CMS will host a National Provider Call on the final rule of Stage 2 to help providers learn about the new program criteria and successfully receive their incentive payment.

Agenda

The call will cover:

• The extension to Stage 1 of meaningful use


• Changes to Stage 1 criteria for meaningful use


• Proposed Medicaid policies


• Stage 2 meaningful use overview


• Stage 2 clinical quality measures (CQMs)


• Medicare payment adjustments and exceptions


• Questions and answers about the EHR Incentive Programs

Registration: 

To register for this call, visit the CMS Upcoming National Provider Calls webpage.

Registration closes at 12:00 p.m. ET on the day of the call, or when available space has been filled.

Presentation: 

A link to the slide presentation will be available on the CMS National Provider Calls and Events page.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?

Make sure to visit the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs websitefor the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.

Obama Vows to Defend Traditional Medicare, Briefly Touts ACA

September 7, 2012 — President Barack Obama asked for 4 more years to revive the nation's economy in his acceptance speech last night at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, and took his time getting to the subject of healthcare, the most divisive issue of his presidency.

However, once he arrived at that subject, more than halfway into his remarks, Obama drew some lines in the sand.

Obama said he refused to "eliminate health insurance for millions of Americans who are poor, elderly, or disabled...all so those with the most can pay less." This was an oblique and solitary reference to Medicaid, which serves the poor, elderly, and disabled, and which Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney wants to convert into a block-grant program to limit federal outlays.

Obama was even more defiant when it came to Medicare, vowing never to turn it into a "voucher," his way of describing Romney's plan to give seniors a fixed amount of money to purchase either traditional Medicare coverage or a private health plan.

"No American should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies," Obama told convention delegates. "They should retire with the care and dignity they have earned. Yes, we will reform and strengthen Medicare for the long haul, but we'll do it by reducing the cost of healthcare — not by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more."

And the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the president's healthcare reform legislation that survived a Supreme Court challenge? Obama did not mention the law by name, but coyly referred to it twice. Characterizing the Republican preference for small government as an excuse for government inaction, he said, "If you can't afford health insurance, hope you don't get sick."

Later, he told the Democratic faithful that they were "the reason there's a little girl with a heart disorder in Phoenix who'll get the surgery she needs because an insurance company can't limit her coverage." Obama seemed to be touting the ACA provision that prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to children younger than 19 years because of a preexisting condition.

Obama referred to healthcare a final time in a defense of abortion rights when he decried "Washington politicians who want to...control healthcare choices that women should make for themselves."

By the end of the evening, Obama had discussed healthcare in more detail than his Republican opponent had done last week at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. However, as last night's speech demonstrated, Obama knows that the election on November 6 hinges mostly on whoever can best play the economy card. Obama uttered the word "job" or "jobs" 17 times, a considerable number, but 10 short of Romney's 27 references. Obama said his policies would translate into 1 million new manufacturing jobs during the next 4 years on top of the 500,000 already created in the last 2.5 years.

Voters Seem to Tolerate Healthcare Reform

If Obama downplayed the ACA in Charlotte, one reason may be that more Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of the law than a favorable one. That pattern has generally held true since the ACA was enacted in March 2010, according to monthly tracking polls by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). In August, for example, 43% of Americans said they disliked the law, 38% liked it, and 19% were undecided or refused to comment. However, most Americans favor major provisions of the law on a stand-alone basis, such as free preventive care, health insurance exchanges, and premium subsidies, according to KFF.

The Supreme Court decision in June that preserved the ACA did not shift the survey numbers in any major way. After all, the ruling had something for ACA supporters and opponents alike. The high court said that the law's individual mandate violated the Constitution's Commerce clause, but that it was ultimately justified under the constitutional authority of Congress to levy taxes. Republicans who parsed the opinion could still argue, therefore, that the law had an unconstitutional odor. Likewise, the Supreme Court let a massive expansion of Medicaid proceed, but the court gave states the right to opt out of it.

Those reproofs aside, the law is still on the books, and the public seems resigned to letting it stay there. In July, 58% of Americans said that ACA opponents should stop trying to block the law and move on to other national problems, according to KFF. Only 37% supported further efforts to derail the ACA's implementation.

Another question posed by KFF has uncovered an odd kind of political support for the law: Each month since January 2011, KFF has asked Americans whether Congress should expand the law, keep it as is, replace it with a Republican alternative, or simply repeal it with no substitute. In August, the percentage of Americans who wanted to either maintain or expand the law stood at 49% compared with 40% who wanted to junk the law, with or without a replacement. The ACA has enjoyed this edge, by and large, since KFF started asking the question. So although the law is not popular with most Americans, only a minority actually seeks its demise.

This tolerance of healthcare reform may indeed be more evidence that voters have their minds on economic security, and which candidate can create the most jobs in the next 4 years.