By Jim Tate, EMR Advocate
Meaningful Use Audit Expert
Twitter: @JimTate, eMail: Inquiry@meaningfuluseaudits.com
“Keep your eyes on the prize”. Not sure who said that but it sure makes sense these days. Sometimes it is better not to focus on what is coming down the road.but to keep at least one eye focused on the task as hand. Often the most important question is, “What do I need to do know right now?”
The “end of Meaningful Use (MU)” is a nasty urban rumor. To believe that it is disappearing is a concept that brings financial risk. The CMS EHR Incentive program may be on the way out but MU is here to stay. If hospitals neglect to continue to achieve MU they will pay an ever escalating price. CMS tell us that as far as Medicare reimbursement goes; “Eligible hospitals that are not meaningful EHR users are subject to a payment adjustment beginning on October 1, 2016. This payment adjustment is applied as a reduction to the applicable percentage increase to the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) payment rate, thus reducing the update to the IPPS standardized amount for these hospitals.” For details a good tipsheet is available from CMS: 2017 Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program Payment Adjustment Fact Sheet for Hospitals. Even more dire is the potential Medicare “fee adjustments” for “Eligible Clinicians”. This is the group that used to be referred to as “Eligible Professionals”. Under the coming MACRA/MIPS Medicare Part B reimbursement program failure to meet MU will have a financial impact much more significant than what is now occurring under MU. An upcoming newsletter will dive into the details of that program. Of course there will be various hardship exemptions and exclusions available to some health care providers that will allow them to skirt the increasing penalties. However, for most providers, to not engage in MU will cost them for years to come.
Jim Tate is known as the most experienced authority on the CMS Meaningful Use (MU) audit and appeal process. His unique combination of skills has brought successful outcomes to hospitals at risk of having their CMS EHR incentives recouped. He led the first appeal challenge in the nation for a client hospital that had received a negative audit determination. That appeal was decided in favor of the hospital. He has also been successful in leading the effort to reverse a failed appeal, even after the hospital had received notification of the failure with the statement, “This decision is final and not subject to further appeal”. That “final” decision was reversed in less than a week. If you are a hospital with questions or concerns about the meaningful use audit process, contact him at: Inquiry@meaningfuluseaudits.com.