On Fri Feb 24, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the next steps for providers who are using electronic health record (EHR) technology and receiving incentive payments from Medicare and Medicaid. These proposed rules, from CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), will govern stage 2 of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, eligible healthcare professionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments when they adopt certified EHR technology and use it in a meaningful way. What is considered "meaningful use" is evolving in three stages: * Stage 1 (which began in 2011 and remains the starting point for all providers): "meaningful use" consists of transferring data to EHRs and being able to share information, including electronic copies and visit summaries for patients. * Stage 2 (to be implemented in 2014 under the proposed rule): "meaningful use" includes new standards such as online access for patients to their health information, and electronic health information exchange between providers. * Stage 3 (expected to be implemented in 2016): "meaningful use" includes demonstrating that the quality of healthcare has been improved. The CMS proposed rule specifies the stage 2 criteria that eligible providers must meet in order to qualify for Medicare and/or Medicaid EHR incentive payments. It also specifies Medicare payment adjustments that, beginning in 2015, providers will face if they fail to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology and fail to meet other program participation requirements. Under the proposed rule, stage 1 has been extended an additional year, allowing providers to attest to stage 2 in 2014, instead of in 2013. ONC's rule proposes capabilities and related standards and implementation specifications that certified EHR technology (CEHRT) will need to include to support the achievement of "meaningful use" by eligible healthcare providers for the EHR reporting periods beginning in fiscal year / calendar year (FY/CY) 2014 and beyond. The rule proposes a redefinition of CEHRT and a revised certification processes to reduce burden and add flexibility, and requests public input to improve safety, data portability, and transparency. The ONC and CMS proposed rules are available at http://www.OFR.gov/inspection.aspx<http://www.ofr.gov/inspection.aspx>. The comment period for both proposed rules will close on Mon May 7, 2012. Additional information on the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs can be found at http://www.CMS.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms. The full text of this excerpted HHS press release (issued Fri Feb 24), as well as links to relevant media factsheets, can be found at http://www.HHS.gov/news/press/2012pres/02/20120224a.html. ________________________________ It's Not too Late to Give and Get the Flu Vaccine. Take advantage of each office visit and protect your patients against the seasonal flu. Medicare will continue to pay for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for all Medicare beneficiaries through the entire flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that patients, healthcare workers and caregivers be vaccinated against the seasonal flu. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get the Flu Vaccine-Not the Flu. Remember - The flu vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine payment limits at http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp. Note that the flu vaccine is NOT a Part D-covered drug. For more information on coverage and billing of the flu vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational provider resources, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp and http://www.cms.gov/immunizations. ________________________________ Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider listserv, go to (http://www.cms.gov/prospmedicarefeesvcpmtgen/downloads/Provider_Listservs.pdf). If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
