Meaningful Use: Attestation, Assignments and Appeals
Meaningful Use (MU) audits will increase in 2015 and a growing area of concern for eligible hospitals and professionals is just now surfacing after 4…
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EHR Incentive Program Status Report October 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the most recent numbers for the EHR Incentive programs. Here are some Program-to-date highlights from this latest CMS report – October.
National Health Expenditures Continued Slow Growth in 2013
Health spending continued to grow at a slow rate last year the Office of the Actuary (OACT) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported. In 2013, health spending grew at 3.6 percent and total national health expenditures in the United States reached $2.9 trillion, or $9,255 per person.
The Assignment of Meaningful Use Incentives
It sounds fairly simple and straight forward. Medicaid and Medicare eligible professionals (EP) who have achieved and attested to meaningful use (MU) can assign their incentive payment to another entity. CMS lays it right out there “However, under Medicare, eligible professionals (EPs) may choose to assign their incentive payments to their employer or entity with which the EP has a contractual arrangement.
Reminder: CMS Extends EH Attestation Deadline
CMS is extending the deadline for eligible hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to attest to meaningful use for the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program 2014 reporting year from 11:59 pm EST on November 30, 2014 to 11:59 pm EST on December 31, 2014.
Protect Electronic Health Information Core Objective
If you are a provider participating in the EHR Incentive Programs, conducting or reviewing a security risk analysis is required to meet Stage 1 and Stage 2 of meaningful use. This meaningful use objective complements, but does not impose new or expanded requirements on the HIPAA Security Rule.
A Meaningful Use Holiday Surprise for Hospitals?
Every day I speak with hospitals involved in the CMS EHR Incentive program. Some are at Stage 1 and some have moved on to Stage 2. For all of them their 2015 meaningful use (MU) year began October 1, 2014. No matter the Stage, they had to be using 2014 Edition certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT).
Clinical Information Exchange and Financial Incentives Top Reasons for EHR adoption
The need to share patient information with other providers and the use of financial incentives are key drivers in why many providers adopt and use health information technology tools like EHRs, according a data brief released today from the ONC.
Meaningful Use Requirements for Summary of Care in Stage 2
If you are an eligible provider participating in the EHR Incentive Programs, you will have the option of reporting the Summary of Care menu objective in Stage 1, but will be required to meet the core objective in Stage 2. CMS wants to ensure providers are able to meet Measure #2 of the Summary of Care objective in Stage 2. Below is some additional guidance to help you meet the measure.