Question: When can a hospital use the case number threshold exemption for the clinical quality measure (CQM) requirement of meaningful use?
Answer FAQ #8400: The case number threshold exemption for hospital CQM reporting helps reduce the burden placed on hospitals that very seldom have cases that would be counted in the denominator of certain CQMs. Eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) with a low number of inpatient discharges per electronic health records (EHR) reporting period as defined by a CQM’s denominator population, could be exempted from reporting on that CQM.
The CQM case number threshold exemption for eligible hospitals and CAHs is available beginning in FY2013 for all stages of meaningful use (MU). The hospital must submit the aggregate population and sample size counts for Medicare and non-Medicare discharges for the EHR reporting period for the CQM(s) for which the hospital seeks an exemption. Read the full answer here.
Question: If a provider who is participating in the Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program either retires or opts out of Medicare or Medicaid, can he/she still receive an incentive payment?
Answer FAQ #8406: In the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, eligibility to receive an incentive payment is tied to being an active provider in the Medicare program. If a provider retires or opts out of the Medicare program, it may affect their ability to receive an incentive payment. Read the full answer here.
- If a provider retires or opts out of Medicare after successfully attesting to Meaningful Use (MU), the provider will be paid an incentive payment.
- If a provider retires or opts out of Medicare before successfully attesting, but has approved a third party proxy user to attest on his/her behalf in the Medicare system of record known as National Plan & Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), that proxy user can enter MU data and attest for the provider. If the attestation is successful, the provider will be paid an incentive payment.
- If a provider retires or opts out of Medicare before successfully attesting and has not approved a third party proxy user to attest on his/her behalf, the provider is no longer considered a participant of the Medicare EHR incentive program and will not receive an incentive payment.
Question: Can attestation information submitted for the EHR Incentive Programs be updated, changed, cancelled or withdrawn after successful submission in the EHR Registration and Attestation System?
Updated Answer FAQ #8035: Once a provider has submitted their attestation and has been either locked for payment or had an incentive payment issued, they will not have the ability to amend the information in the attestation system. It is the provider’s responsibility to maintain records that demonstrate they have met meaningful use requirements and determine whether corrections to their attestation information would enable them to continue to demonstrate meaningful use. Read the full answer here.
See more CMS New FAQs published on next pages.