MeaningfulUseedu
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide financial incentives for the meaningful use of certified EHR (Electronic Health Record) technology to improve patient care. To receive an EHR incentive payment, providers have to show that they are meaningfully using their EHRs by meeting thresholds for a number of objectives.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has established the objectives for meaningful use that eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet in order to receive an incentive payment.
What is the Meaningful Use?
Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provided EHR incentive payments to eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals as they adopt, implement, upgrade, or demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology.
- Demonstrating Meaningful Use of certified EHRs takes time and resources. EPs and hospitals can receive financial support from the CMS Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. EPs can qualify for EHR incentive payments totaling as much as $44,000 through the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, or as much as $63,750 through the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.
- Through the EHR Incentive Programs, eligible hospitals, including critical access hospitals (CAHs), can qualify for EHR incentive payments totaling some $2 million or more.
What does MU compliance mean?
The CMS EHR Incentive Programs provided financial incentives for the "meaningful use" of certified EHR technology. To receive an EHR incentive payment, providers must meet certain measurement thresholds that range from recording patient information as structured data to exchanging summary care records. The EHR Incentive Programs includes three stages with increasing requirements for participation.
Meaningful Use Defined
Meaningful Use is using certified electronic health record (EHR) technology to:
- Improve quality, safety, efficiency, and reduce health disparities
- Engage patients and family
- Improve care coordination, and population and public health
- Maintain privacy and security of patient health information
Ultimately, it is hoped that the meaningful use compliance will result in:
- Better clinical outcomes
- Improved population health outcomes
- Increased transparency and efficiency
- Empowered individuals
- More robust research data on health systems
For the officalMeaningful Use srequirements and attestation process visit the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Incentive Programs Website.
What changes were in the Final CMS Rules?
On October 6, 2015, CMS and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released final rules that simplify requirements and add new flexibilities for providers to make electronic health information available when and where it matters most and for health care providers and consumers to be able to readily, safely, and securely exchange that information. The final rule for 2015 Edition Health IT Certification Criteria (2015 Edition) and final rule with comment period for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Incentive Programs will help continue to move the health care industry away from a paper-based system, where a doctor’s handwriting needed to be interpreted and patient files could be misplaced.
To help eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) successfully participate in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs in 2015, CMS has posted new resources on the CMS EHR Incentive Programs website.
- Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals/CAHs: What You Need to Know for 2015
- Overview of the EHR Incentive Programs in 2015-2017
- What’s Changed for the EHR Incentive Programs in 2015-2017
- Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals/CAHs Attestation Worksheets
- Alternate Exclusions and Specifications Fact Sheet
- Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals/CAHs Objectives and Measures Tables
- Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals/CAHs Specification Sheets
Join MUedu Today! Signup for free Meaningful Use webinars and training!
Check-out with Discount Code FREETRAINING in your Shopping Cart!
© 2004-2023 - All Rights Reserved. Connecting Healthcare® is a registered trademark and DBA trade name of Health Transactions, Inc.