CMS Posts Helpful EHR Incentive Program Registration Guides

January 7, 2011August 14, 2012 Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Hospital EHR Stimulus, Physician EMR Stimulus Electronic Health Records, eligible professional incentives for electronic medical records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Act, hospital incentives for EHRs, linkedin, meaningful use of certified EHR, ONC, State Medicaid EHR Incentives

CMS has posted very helpful Electronic Health Record (EHR) Registration User Guides, one for Eligible Hospitals and one for Eligible Professionals. The Guides provide an excellent overview of the path to receiving EHR Incentives available under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. As I pointed out in my previous post, CMS is encouraging Eligible Hospitals and Eligible Professionals to go ahead and register in advance of making an attestation to meaningful use of a certified EHR. CMS has set up the system so that registrants do not have to fear that registration alone could somehow subject them to penalties later for failing to follow through with implementing and making an meaningful use of an EHR. This is evident by reviewing the way in which the registration system is broken down into four parts or “tabs”: Registration, Attestation, Status and Account Management.

Registration Tab. Here is where hospitals and physicians (as well as other practitioners eligible for incentives under State Medicaid programs) can register for the EHR Incentive Program. Registrants also will access this Tab to take one of the following actions: Continue an Incomplete Registration, Modify an Existing Registration, Resubmit a registration that was previously deemed ineligible, Reactivate a Registration, Switch Incentive Programs (Medicare/Medicaid), Switch Medicaid State, and Cancel Participation in the EHR Incentive Program.

Attestation Tab. Under this Tab is where registrants can submit their Attestation of meaningful use when ready. This Tab also provides options and instructions for Registrants wanting to: Continue an Incomplete Attestation, Modify an Existing Attestation, or Discontinue an Attestation.

Status Tab. Here, registrants can view the status of Registration, Attestation and their EHR Incentive Payment.

Account Management Tab. Here, registrants can Update Account Information, Request Access to Organizations, or Remove Access to Organizations.

The Hospital Guide can be accessed here and the Eligible Professional Guide can be accessed here.

EHR Certification Organizations and Certified EHRs

October 5, 2010August 14, 2012 Kathie McDonald-McClure EHR Certification Standards, Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Meaningful Use CCHIT, EHR Certification Standards, Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Act, linkedin, meaningful use of certified EHR, ONC

Just to recap where we are today, the U.S. Health & Human Services Department (HHS) Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has authorized three organizations to perform complete EHR and/or EHR module testing and certification under the Temporary Certification Program Rules. Certification means that the EHR or EHR module has the capabilities necessary to support the efforts of eligible hospitals and eligible professionals in meeting the Meaningful Use requirements under Final Rule issued by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for Meaningful Use. The three ONC-Authorized Testing & Certification Bodies (ATCBs) to date are Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), Drummond Group, Inc. (Drummond), and InfoGuard Laboratories, Inc. (InfoGuard). For additional information about the ONC process for achieving ATCB status, as well as more information about Standards & Certification generally, see the ONC webpage.

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CMS Holds Training Teleconference on EHR Final Rules

July 23, 2010August 4, 2010 Kathie McDonald-McClure EHR Certification Standards, Electronic Health Records, Eligible Professional Incentives, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Hospital EHR Stimulus, Meaningful Use, Physician EMR Stimulus EHR Certification Standards, Electronic Health Records, eligible professional incentives for electronic medical records, Health Information Technology, hospital incentives for EHRs, linkedin, meaningful use of certified EHR, ONC

On Thursday, July 22, 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held a publicly available teleconference to give an overview of the 800+ page Final Rule on Meaningful Use (MU) under the HITECH Act, as well as an overview of the Final and Proposed Rules on Temporary & Permanent Certification Program and the Final Rule on the Standards and Certification Criteria for electronic health records (EHRs). CMS is making an “encore recording” of the 90-minute teleconference available until 11:00 pm, Saturday, July 24, 2010. Call toll-free, 1-800-642-1689 and enter the conference ID 87841621 to hear the encore recording. CMS will post an audio recording link to the teleconference on its EHR Incentive Programs website sometime in August 2010. The slides accompanying the audio are available on that same website, here (scroll to Downloads and click on the links for the July 22, 2010 Training materials).

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ONC Releases Final Rule on EHR Temporary Certification Program

June 18, 2010August 4, 2010 Kathie McDonald-McClure EHR Certification Standards, Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law EHR Certification Standards, Electronic Health Records, Health Information Technology, HITECH Act, HITECH implementation, linked, meaningful use of certified EHR, ONC

From the Office of National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC HIT):

“On June 18, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology issued its temporary certification program final rule, which establishes a way for organizations to become authorized by the National Coordinator to test and certify electronic health record technology.”

To read more information and to read the rule, click here.

HHS Releases Proposed EHR “Meaningful Use” Standards

January 7, 2010July 8, 2010 Kathie McDonald-McClure Electronic Health Records, Eligible Professional Incentives, Health Information Technology, HITECH Law, Hospital EHR Stimulus, Meaningful Use, Physician EMR Stimulus EHR, Electronic Health Records, eligible professional incentives for electronic medical records, Health Information Technology, HIT, HITECH Act, HITECH implementation, hospital incentives for EHRs, linkedin, Meaningful Use, ONC

By 2014, hospitals and physicians whom Medicare reimburses for services and items will need to have adopted an electronic health record (EHR) according to rules promulgated under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) or risk reductions in their Medicare reimbursement. On December 30, 2009, the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), released their respective proposed rules for qualifying for EHR stimulus funds under HITECH: The “meaningful use” and “certified” EHR standards.