EHR Meaningful Use Deadlines
Following are some dates for EHR Incentive Program meaningful use reporting:
07/03/11: the last day for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals to start their 90-day reporting period for the fiscal year 2011 Medicare electronic health records meaningful use incentive program.
09/30/11: the last day of the federal fiscal year under which the hospital program operates.
10/03/11: the last day [...]
EHR Meaningful Use Bonus Checks Go Out
In the first two weeks of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services incentive program, $75 million was paid out in bonuses for the meaningful use of electronic medical records.
CMS announced mid-May that more than 300 physicians, hospitals and other eligible EMR users qualified for the first stage of the meaningful use incentive program and received payments.
Starting [...]
Delay EHR Meaningful Use Stage 2 for Those That Attest in 2011?
According to Health Data Management, the meaningful use workgroup of the Health I.T. Policy Committee, which advises the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, is recommending that Stage 2 of electronic health records be delayed by one year to 2014 for providers who attest to Stage 1 meaningful use in 2011.
The rationale [...]
CMS Adds New EHR Meaningful Use FAQs
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released new frequently asked questions about the electronic health records meaningful use incentive program. The questions cover providing patients with an electronic copy of health information and counting patients not seen by the eligible provider.
The complete questions and answers are:
Question: To meet the meaningful use objective “provide [...]
AHRQ to Identify Barriers to Medicaid Providers Achieving Meaningful Use of EHRs
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will conduct a two-year study to identify barriers to Medicaid providers achieving electronic health records meaningful use criteria.
The study will draw from over one dozen focus groups of eligible Medicaid providers–some of which have adopted an EHR and some of which have not. The finding from the focus groups will inform [...]
Medicare Issuing EHR Meaningful Use Incentive Checks
This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will start issuing the first Medicare incentive checks for meaningful use of electronic health records.
Providers receiving meaningful use incentives will be paid the same way they receive payment for Medicare services, either through an electronic funds transfer or paper check. Payments will appear on the bank [...]
EHR Meaningful Use Attestation Opens April 18, 2011
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Electronic Health Records Incentive Program “meaningful use” verification period opens today. This allows providers who are demonstrating meaningful using of electronic health record (EHR) systems to submit for reimbursement as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
There are three stages of meaningful use under the [...]
Upcoming CMS EHR Incentive Program Dates
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ EHR Incentive Program has registered over 25,000 eligible physicians and hospitals, and, it has paid out over $37 million so far.
Here are some upcoming events and milestone dates to keep on your radar:
April 1, 2011: CMS will host a national provider education call for eligible professionals about registration [...]
An Affordable, Web-based EMR
Hundreds of electronic health record vendors are marketing their products to physicians. How do you sort through the noise surrounding meaningful use incentives, conversion costs and the benefits for the practice to determine the solutions best for your environment?
We would like to suggest a few items for you to consider. When you do, we believe Medical [...]
Blumenthal Letter on Meaningful Use of Health Information
A Message from Dr. David Blumenthal, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, marks 2011 as the year when medical care entered a new era – the age of meaningful use of health information. Read the letter now to learn more.
5-Star Rated, Certified, Web-Based EHR Plugs in to Medical Manager to help Achieve Meaningful Use
Need an EHR that will protect your investment in Sage Medical Manager by plugging in to it versus replacing it? Then see a product overview of WebChart EHR by Medical Informatics Engineering. It’s a ‘minimally invasive’ EHR that is fully certified.
WebChart is a cost effective, web-based solution that can be implemented online easily [...]
Registration for EHR Incentive Programs Begins Today
Registration through CMS for EHR Incentive Programs begins today, January 3, 2011. Early participation will yield maximum incentive payments, so, register today even if your certified EHR system is not yet installed.
To learn more about using certified EHR technology, being a meaningful user and attesting for incentive payments, go to the CMS [...]
CMS Establishes System to Track EHR Meaningful Use Incentive Recipients
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will track eligible medical professionals receiving incentive payments for demonstrating meaningful use of electronic health records.
The system is called “Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program National Level Repository (NLR).” The NLR will collect, maintain and process information for the incentive program and will be disclosed to [...]
ONC Publishes Certified HIT Product List
The Certified HIT Product List (CHPL) provides the authoritative, comprehensive listing of Complete EHRs and EHR Modules that have been tested and certified under the Temporary Certification Program maintained by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).
Each Complete EHR and EHR Module listed on the website has been certified by an ONC-Authorized [...]
CMS Testing Systems to Manage Attestations and Payment for Meaningful Use of EHRs
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is in the final testing stages for systems to manage the registration, attestation and payments to healthcare providers participating in the meaningful use program. According to an article in Government Health IT, the CMS administrative systems are due to go into production in January, when the incentive program kicks off,
Providers who want [...]
Harmony Healthcare IT Offers EHR with ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 Certification
Harmony Healthcare IT partners with Medical Informatics Engineering to offer an electronic health record solution to ambulatory practices nationwide. Medical Informatics Engineering announced today that WebChart EHR Version 5.1, is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on September 30, 2010 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an ONC-ATCB, in [...]
ONC Publishes FAQs on EHR Meaningful Use
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator of Health IT (ONC) has released a frequently-asked-questions document aimed at clearing up confusion around meaningful use of EHRs. Read the questions and answers here.
ONC-Authorized EHR Testing and Certification Bodies
The following organizations have been selected as The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ATCBs) for electronic health records (EHR):
Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) - Chicago, Ill.
Date of authorization: September 3, 2010.
Scope of authorization: Complete EHR and EHR Modules.
Drummond Group, Inc. (DGI) - Austin, Texas.
Date [...]
Meaningful Use Survey Results from HIMSS
It looks as if the incentives offered by the federal government for physicians to meet electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use standards are working.
In an online survey conducted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), 77% of respondents indicated that they would pursue meaningful use incentives.
Here are some other highlights from the survey:
The majority of respondents [...]
Meaningful Use Talks for 2013 Begin
According to this article from Government Health IT, Health & Human Services Department officials are considering measures for the second stage of meaningful use even before healthcare providers get started on tackling the 2011 first stage requirements of the incentive program.
The Health IT Policy Committee wants to prepare recommendations on 2013 meaningful use criteria by [...]