About Mike Squires

Mike Squires is a marketing and sales executive with 12 years focused on e-Healthcare initiatives that helped physicians change the way they work for better patient care. Experienced in introducing new online products to physicians, healthcare professionals, and the pharmaceutical and medical device industries with innovative sales and marketing strategies at start-up and traditional healthcare publishers. Helped position Medscape as the market leader to the industry and accelerate e-product offerings of Elsevier’s International Medical News Group and F-D-C Reports. Directed marketing, sales, client relations, sales support, and implementation of medical education and promotion programs. Entrepreneurial and enthusiastic; excellent mentor and motivator.

New ONC-Sponsored Research Advances Health Information Exchange

New ONC-Sponsored Research Advances Health Information Exchange

Health information exchange (HIE) is not easy. ONC has sponsored expert research on various technical and business-related health information exchange topics, because we know that professionals engaged in implementing health information exchange must possess business acumen and technical expertise, on top of policy savvy and many other competencies. Without these skills there are many ways to overreach, or just as perilously, under reach, resulting in failure to maximize the long-term value of services offered through health information exchange.

The ONC-sponsored research will provide health information exchange implementers, policymakers, and researchers with a heightened understanding of several high-impact services that can support the sustainability of health information exchange organizations.

We would like to announce that five new health information exchange research reports are now available on HealthIT.gov. Each provides:

  • Background information on core concepts
  • Analyses of key challenges and opportunities
  • Rich appendices, including up-to-date case studies
  • Health information exchange vendor descriptions

To execute this work, ONC contracted with Audacious Inquiry External Links Disclaimer, a health information technology services company. These reports will support the State HIE Program’s grantees as they continue to implement health information exchange, which increasingly includes launching query-based exchanges.

Listed below are the five new HIE reports that are available:

1. REPORT: Query-based Exchange: Key factors influencing success & failure of health information exchange

Perhaps the broadest of the reports, Query-Based Exchange: Key Factors Influencing Success and Failure provides essentially a “how-to” guide for navigating the major business considerations facing an HIE, including a breakdown of what the authors consider to be the determinants of HIE success. These are:

  • Data provider distribution
  • Data diversity/data saturation
  • Breadth/relevance of the user-base
  • Utilization rates

The report states that:

“…arriving at the true tipping point for query services that will make a Health Information Organization a clinical necessity is dependent on reaching certain milestones against [these] four interrelated metrics.”

REPORT FINDING: The Number of Patient Record Queries Indicate Success of HIEs

One of the most revealing aspects of this report is a chart contrasting six successful HIEs with two shuttered organizations across nearly 24 data points. One of these data points is the average number of patient record queries per month that each entity is receiving or had received. Those HIEs that are considered successful have figures ranging from 1,548 to 333,333 per month, while the closed HIEs had between 167 and 250 queries per month.

REPORT FINDING: There are Leadership Challenges for Health Information Exchange Vendors

The report also considers specific lessons from the experience of these health information organizations. It details the challenges of hiring and retaining a chief executive who is responsible for strategic vision, sales, marketing, day-to-day operations, and complex technical implementation projects. The research found that on top of all this, the leader might only receive a modest salary relative to her private sector counterparts.

2. REPORT: Health Information Exchange-Driven Notification & Subscription Services.

While health information exchange is not easy, it need not be overly complex. One theme that runs throughout the research is that basic tools can be used to support sophisticated use cases.

The report on HIE-Driven Notification & Subscription Services provides a review of the technical considerations involved in enabling push messages to providers. While these messages are a relatively simple technology, they can be used to support the advanced care coordination requirements of new payment models such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Accountable Care Organizations. The report uses, as an example, the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE)’s ability to send hospital admission alerts and discharge summaries to primary care providers. Such tools will be essential as hospitals begin to face negative financial incentives for readmissions, such as through CMS’ Readmissions Reduction Program.

The report also touches on how IHIE is developing a pilot that will allow managed care organization case managers, as part of their care coordination efforts, to receive notifications when their members are admitted to a hospital or visit an emergency department.

3. REPORT: Provider Directory Solutions for Health Information Exchanges and Beyond

Another important aspect of health information exchange is provider directories. While they are not glamorous, they are ubiquitous, and they can be highly valuable. On the most basic level, a provider directory is a type of electronic white pages that allows one provider to look up contact information for another provider.

The report on Provider Directory Solutions covers the key concepts associated with the technology. However, it also describes several additional use cases, such as how they can be used for future health benefits exchanges or for state licensing boards. Yet, the report goes even further by supporting the idea that the profit potential of provider directories is likely to go beyond the fundamental requirements of clinical health information exchange. Such considerations are critical for the State HIE Program’s cooperative agreement partners as they seek strategies to attain sustainability beyond the grant period.

4. REPORT: Master Data Management within Health Information Exchange Infrastructures

The report on Master Data Management within HIE Infrastructures explores the technical aspects of the tools that can help HIEs accurately capture and coordinate a patient’s identity. In short, master data management is how two pieces of electronic health information are appropriately merged or kept separate, which is particularly challenging when there are varying levels of data quality on patient identities.

The report also considers how master data management tools can be employed for advanced uses, such as data analytics associated with new payment models or patient centered medical homes.

5. REPORT: Consumer Engagement in Health Information Exchange

The report, Consumer Engagement in Health Information Exchange, provides a solid primer on the challenges and technical aspects of consumer-mediated exchange. This includes the considerations related to identity proofing, identity authentication, and access. The report also presents short case studies on several well-known entities working in this space, including:

For More Information

This work was overseen by the State HIE Policy Office, which is part of the State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program. ONC plans to release additional reports in the future.

For more information, contact ONC Program Analyst John Rancourt or ONC Program Manager Lee Stevens.

HIE Hearings by ONC Advisory Committees Jan 29, 2013

AGENDA

Health Information Exchange Hearing
HIT Policy Committee and HIT Standards Committee
Tuesday, January 29, 2013 9:00am – 5:00pm/Eastern Time
The Dupont Circle Hotel
1500 New Hampshire Ave NW, Washington DC, 20036

9:00 a.m.         Call to Order/Roll Call MacKenzie Robertson, ONC
9:05 a.m.         Opening Remarks
                          Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator

9:15 a.m.         The State of Health Information Exchange
                          Micky Tripathi, Chair, IEWG HITPC

9:45 a.m.         Panel 1: Health Information Exchange Enabling Healthcare Transformation

Moderator: John Halamka

  • Michael Lee, Atrius Health
  • Sandy Selzer, Camden Coalition
  • Keith Hepp, HealthBridge
  • John Blair, Hudson Valley Initiative
  • Karen VanWagner, Plus ACO/North Texas Specialty Physicians

11:00 a.m.       Break

11: 15 a.m.      Panel 2: Technical and Business Barriers and Opportunities

Moderator: Paul Tang

  • John Halamka, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • David Horrocks, CRISP
  • Bill Spooner, Sharp
  • Tone Southerland, Greenway

12:45 p.m.      Lunch

1:30 p.m.        Panel 3: Governance Barriers and Opportunities

Moderator: John Halamka

  • David Kibbe, Direct Trust
  • Christopher Alban, Epic
  • Sid Thornton, Care Connectivity Consortium
  • Michael Matthews, Healtheway

2:45 p.m.        Break

3:00 p.m.        Panel 4: Consumer-Mediated Exchange

Moderator: Paul Tang

  • Jeff Donnell, NoMoreClipboard
  • Mary Anne Sterling, Sterling Health
  • Neal Patterson, Cerner
  • Alan Blaustein, Care Planners

4:15 p.m.        Committee Discussion and Next Steps

  • Paul Tang, Vice Chair HITPC

4:45 p.m.        Public Comment

5:00 p.m.        Adjourn

Meeting Agenda: 

Mostishari: “reforms require electronic health records to carry out.”

Mostishari rebuts RAND EHR study in 178 words in NY Times:
"reforms require electronic health records to carry out." http://goo.gl/FpYMR
New York Times Letter to the Editor on January 23, 2013 from National Health IT Coordinator Farzad Mostishare:
In 2nd Look, Few Savings From Digital Care Records” (Business Day, Jan. 11) reports on the recent RAND study’s findings that the use of electronic health records has not yet reached its potential."
See http://goo.gl/FpYMR
Original times story: www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/business/electronic-records-systems-have-not-reduced-health-costs-report-says.html"
Report based on RAND Study "What It Will Take to Achieve the As-Yet-Unfulfilled Promises of Health Information Technology" by Arthur L. Kellermann and Spencer S. Jones, as published in Health Affairs January 2013 issue: http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/32/1/63.abstract?etoc

 

Electronic Health Records Infographic from ONC

How do electronic health records (EHRs) connect you and your doctor?
Infographic accessed from www.healthit.gov on 12/12/2012.

"In the past, medical data was only stored on paper, making it difficult for your health care providers to share your information. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of doctors using an EHRsystem grew about 57%, making it easier for you and all of your doctors to coordinate your care, and often reducing the chance of medical errors. Where are electronic health records headed? In this Infographic, view the history of electronic health records and see how they may improve your health and health care in the future."

ONC provided an easy way for you to share this HealthIT infographic. Copy and paste this code to your company website or blog:
<iframe src="http://www.healthit.gov/embed/" width="500" height="1970" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:0; height:1970px; overflow:hidden; width:500px;"></iframe>
 

ONC Activities Support Governance of Nationwide Health Information Exchange

Mostishari Outlines ONC Steps to Improve HIE Governance
Originally posted on ONC Buzz Blog Post on December 20, 2012 by Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology
Reposted on e-HealthcareMarketing.com on December 22, 2012.

Earlier this year, ONC issued a request for information regarding a potentialphoto of dr. farzad mostashari governance mechanism for the nationwide health information network.  Based on the comments and feedback we received from multiple stakeholders, ONC announced in September that we would not be issuing federal regulations. Instead, we committed to launch a range of activities to support existing governance initiatives and advance governance goals of nationwide health information exchange: increase interoperability, decrease the cost and complexity of exchange, and increase trust among participants to mobilize trusted exchange to support patient care. 

Below, are some of the activities ONC is undertaking to promote emerging good governing practices within and across communities.

  • Today, we are issuing a new Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). The FOA will allow ONC to work collaboratively with entities already involved in governance of health information exchange to encourage the continued development and adoption of policies, interoperability requirements, and business practices that will increase the ease of electronic health information exchange, reduce implementation costs, and assure the privacy and security of data being exchanged.
  • In January, ONC will host an open listening session on governance of health information exchange, to provide opportunities for a wide range of stakeholders to describe their issues, priorities, and critical concerns.
  • Building upon this input from stakeholders, the HIT Policy Committee and HIT Standards Committee will hold a public hearing on January 29, 2013, to further discuss the current state of health information exchange.  The hearing will highlight the significant amount of exchange activity that is occurring today and the practices that enabled or impeded it; the health information exchange opportunities and needs of providers as they take on new payment models; the nature and scope of governance policies and practices of entities currently providing governance to different types of exchange communities, the impact of governance on information exchange, and the opportunities to strengthen governance at multiple levels.
  • In the first quarter of 2013, the National e-health Collaborative, through our cooperative agreement, will convene key stakeholder governance entities.  These entities, whose decisions establish policies and practices for a given community of exchange partners, will work throughout the coming year to identify key issues and common problems in the governance of health information exchange and the best ways to address them.
  • ONC plans to publish a series of governance guidelines for effective and trusted electronic health information exchange.  Through this effort, ONC hopes to guide emerging governance models on the policies and practices that should be considered as part of their approach to governance.
  • ONC will also launch a monitoring program to ensure the governance goals are being addressed.

ONC will be holding a technical assistance call on January 7, 2013, at 2:00 pm EST for applicants interested in applying for the FOA.

The overarching goal for ONC remains that the information follow the patient where and when it is needed, across organizational, vendor, and geographic boundaries.  We hope that you agree that we have initiated a robust series of activities to accomplish this goal.  We look forward to your input as we move forward.  It will take all of us to be successful.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Exemplar Health Information Exchange Governance Entities Program
Total of $800,000 in Funding
Excerpted from FOA issued on December 20, 2012
Executive Summary

The Exemplar Health Information Exchange Governance Entities Cooperative Agreement Program (Program) seeks to support a collaborative exchange within existing private or public sector organizations that have already established governance of health information exchange.  The purpose of the Program is to work with existing governance entities to further develop and adopt policies, interoperability requirements, and business practice criteria that align with national priorities, overcome interoperability challenges, reduce implementation costs and assure the privacy and security of electronic exchange of health information.  By advancing and further developing existing health information exchange governance models, this Program promises to increase the level of secure electronic health information exchange in the nation.  Section 3011(a) of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA) authorizes the Secretary to invest in the infrastructure necessary to allow for and promote the electronic exchange and use of health information for each individual in the United States consistent with the goals of the Federal Health Information Technology Strategic Plan: 2011-2015, and more specifically, support the nationwide electronic exchange and use of health information in a secure, private, and accurate manner. Total funding available for this initiative is $800,000.

I.       Funding Opportunity Description

A.        Background and Purpose

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will advance collaboration within private or public sector organizations that have already established governance of health information exchange.  The purpose of the Program is to work with existing governance entities to further develop and adopt policies, interoperability requirements, and business practice criteria that align with national priorities, overcome interoperability challenges, reduce implementation costs and assure the privacy and security of electronic exchange of health information, in a manner consistent with section 3011(a) of the PHSA.  As a cooperative agreement, as opposed to a grant, this award instrument of financial assistance ensures substantial involvement between the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the recipients during the performance of the project.

ONC had previously considered proposing the establishment of a voluntary accreditation process for the governance of health information exchange through a rulemaking process. A Request for Information (RFI) solicited feedback on whether ONC should establish this voluntary program and on the specific rules of the road that exchange entities should follow. Several of the responses to the RFI pointed out that there are already organizations engaged in health information exchange governance activities, and that ONC should work with these entities rather than set up a new process and program. Based on these and many other comments received, ONC decided not to pursue a governance approach through rulemaking at this time.  Instead ONC is establishing a robust framework of leadership, guidance, engagement, listening and learning, and monitoring. 

  • We will identify and shine light on good practices that support robust, secure and interoperable exchange.
  • We will actively engage with entities currently serving in governance/oversight roles to promote emerging good governance practices. 
  • We will continue to use our existing authorities and convening powers to create consensus and provide guidance and tools to address specific barriers to interoperability and exchange. 
  • We will continue to evaluate how and what consumer protections can be appropriately applied to health information exchange through existing regulatory frameworks. 
  • We will continue to monitor and learn from the wide range of activities occurring. 

This FOA will enable ONC to work collaboratively through the cooperative agreement process with existing entities undertaking governance activities for the electronic exchange of health information to encourage them to develop and adopt scalable national policies, interoperability requirements and business practice requirements that reduce the cost and complexity of exchange, obviates the need for cumbersome legal agreements and reduces the cost and complexity of health information exchange, .  The FOA is focused on working with existing governance entities to expand their rules of the road (i.e. policies, interoperability requirements and business practice requirements) for participating organizations.  This work will support and advance the efforts of existing governance entities which will benefit consumers and providers by allowing health information to flow securely between unaffiliated healthcare organizations. 

The cooperative agreement will provide funding to selected governance organizations to collaborate with ONC to:

  • Develop and implement policies, interoperability requirements and business practice requirements that will facilitate directed “push” and/or query-based exchange[1] and address operational challenges that are slowing adoption and use of either model of exchange
  • Identify potential opportunities to incorporate these solutions in national policy through certification of electronic health records, nationally adopted standards, incorporation into federal policy or additional governance activities

B.        Project Structure and Scope of Services
1.         Approach

ONC will enter into cooperative agreements with up to four awardees whose primary role is providing governance for participants’ directed “push” and/or query-based exchange.  Applicants may address one or both of the exchange models.  ONC is interested in funding at least one applicant that will provide governance for each exchange model.  ONC will work with each awardee through the cooperative agreement process to determine the set of policies, interoperability requirements and business practice requirements that will be addressed under this cooperative agreement.  Once the Exemplar Health Information Exchange Governance Entities cooperative agreement(s) are awarded, ONC will encourage State HIE Cooperative Agreement grantees to participate in the Exemplar Health Information Exchange Governance Entities awardee activities, as appropriate.  Awardees will serve as key partners with ONC in demonstrating potential scalable national rules of the road for the electronic exchange of health information.

2.         General Funding Requirements

Applicants must:

  1. Have operational governance for the electronic exchange of health information. This means the applicant has established and implemented policies, interoperability requirements and business practice requirements for participants’ query-based exchange, directed “push” exchange or both. 
  2. Support the exchange of health information between unaffiliated healthcare organizations, health information organizations and across multiple vendors’ products. 
  3. Have broad representation of stakeholders (i.e. as relevant healthcare providers, health IT vendors, consumers, health information organizations, etc.) in decision-making bodies and processes.   
  4. Adhere to principles outlined in Section I.B.5, Principles

3.         National Priority Topics

ONC will work with awardees to develop and implement governance policies, interoperability requirements and business practice requirements addressing the national priority topics outlined below. Addressing these topics will support health information exchange in stages one and two of meaningful use and will facilitate implementation of innovative payment models.  In areas where ONC has existing recommendations from the HIT Policy Committee or the HIT Standards Committee that ONC has considered and decided to implement, or has Standards & Interoperability Framework activities, those will be used as the starting point to develop solutions.

  1. Directed “Push”  Exchange Model
    1. End user identity resolution and authentication
    2. Discovery and management of digital certificates
    3. Exchanging certificate trust bundles
    4. Querying provider directories
  2. Query-Based Exchange Model
    1. Improving patient matching for a patient record query
    2. Implementing meaningful patient choice to participate in HIE
    3. Determining a treatment relationship exists before a patient record query is executed
    4. Addressing liability concerns

Each applicant will work on national priority topics in their selected exchange model through this cooperative agreement and may also propose additional priority topics.  ONC will work with each awardee to determine the final set of topics each awardee will work on under this cooperative agreement.  If multiple awardees are working on the same or similar topics, ONC may instruct awardees to work together to establish a common solution.


[1] We define “directed push” exchange as a message sent from one participant to another, often to support anticipated and planned care. Examples include information that is sent by a hospital to another provider when a patient is referred or discharged from the hospital, lab results delivery or alerts to a primary care provider when a patient is seen in the emergency department. We define “query-based” exchange as models allowing providers to query for a patient’s health information, for instance when the patient arrives at an emergency department or at a specialist’s office without any clinical information.

National Health IT Week: Sept 10-14, 2012

National Health IT Week

September 10-14, 2012 Excerpted from http://www.healthit.gov/healthitweek/ on Sept 8, 2012

The Seventh Annual National Health IT Week External Links Disclaimer is being held September 10-14, 2012. Health IT Week brings together the entire health IT community under one umbrella to raise awareness about the power of health IT to improve the quality, safety, and cost effectiveness of health care.

The events of the week provide a key opportunity for key stakeholders-vendors, provider organizations, payers, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, government agencies, industry and professional associations, research foundations, and consumer groups- to work together to highlight critical issues and advance a shared vision of improving the nation's health and health care through health IT. During Health IT Week, ONC has developed a specific theme upon which to build each day's events. We hope you are able to join us for as many as your schedule allows.

Health IT Events and Initiatives

  • Monday: Consumer eHealth/Blue Button
    2012 Consumer Health IT Summit: Expanding Access to Health Information
    Monday, September 10
    10:00am – 1:00pm ET (NOTE: Breakout sessions will occur from 1:00 – 3:30PM for attendees who are participating in person)

    Hubert H. Humphrey Building
    200 Independence Avenue S.W.
    Washington, D.C., 20201

    The 2012 Consumer Health IT Summit External Links Disclaimer will bring together federal leaders including: Todd Park, U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator, Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and inspiring leaders from the private and non-profit sectors. ONC's Pledge Program has grown more than ten-fold since last year-the 2012 Consumer Health IT Summit is a chance to learn from and share your experiences with others who are leading the charge to empower consumers to be better partners in their health.

    View the latest agenda [PDF - 104 KB] External Links Disclaimer

    Event will be Webcast Live at www.hhs.gov/live.

  • Health IT Blog Carnival

    The Health IT Blog Carnival External Links Disclaimer is an open call for healthcare and IT industry bloggers who would like to comment on the impact health IT will have in 2013.

  • Tuesday: Improving Patient Care Through Meaningful Use
    ONC – HRSA Webinar Demo of the New ONC Privacy and Security Training Game and Program Update for Safety Net Providers|
    Tuesday, Septeber 11
    10:00am – 11:00am ET

    This webinar will feature a new training tool from the Office of National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) Privacy and Security Group. ONC will demo an interactive training game for providers and staff on the "do's and don'ts" of privacy and security issues regarding health IT. This training tool can be used to help fulfill a safety net provider's HIPAA privacy training requirements. In addition, ONC will provide a privacy and security update on recent program changes and how they affect safety net providers.

    Presenters:

    • Laura Rosas, JD, MPH, Policy Analyst, ONC
    • William Phelps Policy Analyst, ONC

    Register for the webinar External Links Disclaimer

  • PCPCC Advancing Primary Care through Health IT
    Tuesday, September 11
    2:00pm – 3:30pm ET

    The Patient Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) is holding a webinar featuring speakers from CMS, ONC, and NCQA to discuss various aspects of health information technology and the patient-centered medical home. Please join us for a free and informative webinar from 2:00-3:30pm ET on Tuesday, September 11, entitled "Advancing Primary Care through Health Information Technology".

    Presenters:

    • Richard Baron, MD, MACP, Group Director, Seamless Care Models, CMS Innovation Center
    • Jacob Reider, MD, Acting Chief Medical Officer, ONC
    • Mat Kendall, Director of Office Provider Adoption Support, ONC
    • Johann Chanin, Director in Product Development, NCQA

    Register for the webinar External Links Disclaimer

  • Wednesday: Privacy and Security
    NeHC Privacy and Security Programs|
    Wednesday, September 12
    11:00am – 12:00pm ET

    As part of Health IT Week External Links Disclaimer, National eHealth Collaborative External Links Disclaimer (NeHC) will offer a series of programs with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to highlight their various initiatives, including those related to privacy and security. Joy Pritts, Chief Privacy Officer at ONC will kick off the program and Laura Rosas, Privacy and Security Professional at ONC and Will Phelps, HIT Cyber Security Program Officer with HHS, will provide an interactive demonstration of Cybersecure: Your Medical Practice, a new avatar-based game meant to enhance organizations' understanding of privacy and security.

    Faculty:

    • Joy Pritts, Chief Privacy Officer, ONC
    • Laura E. Rosas, JD, MPH, Privacy and Security Professional, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, ONC
    • Will Phelps, HIT Cyber Security Program Officer, US Department of Health and Human Services

    URL: http://www.nationalehealth.org/HITWeek-Security External Links Disclaimer

    Fee: No charge

  • Thursday: Standards, Interoperability, and Health Information Exchange
    NeHC Standards & Interoperability Framework
    Thursday, September 13
    1:00p – 2:30pm ET

    Continuing with the HIT Week Program Series, National eHealth Collaborative External Links Disclaimer (NeHC) will offer a program with Deputy National Coordinator David Muntz and Director of the Office of Science and Technology, Dr. Doug Fridsma to lead a discussion on the progress of the Standards and Interoperability Framework. Dr. Holly Miller from MedAllies, Inc. and David Tao from Siemens Healthcare will discuss the S&I Framework from the perspective of a provider and a vendor respectively.

    Faculty:

    • David Muntz, Principal Deputy National Coordinator, ONC
    • Dr. Doug Fridsma, Director, Office of Standards and Interoperability, ONC
    • Dr. Holly Miller, Chief Medical Officer, MedAllies, Inc.
    • David Tao, Senior Key Expert and Interoperability Champion, Siemens Healthcare

    URL: http://www.nationalehealth.org/HITWeek-Standards External Links Disclaimer

    Fee: No charge

  • Friday: Quality and Health IT
    eHC Quality in Health IT Webinar
    Friday, September 14
    11:00am – 12:00pm ET

    The final webinar of the HIT Week Program Series External Links Disclaimer, National eHealth Collaborative  External Links Disclaimer (NeHC) will provide a program featuring Dr. Farzad Mostashari, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, and Dr. Patrick Conway to discuss how ONC, AHRQ, and CMS are collaborating to leverage health IT to improve healthcare quality. Speakers will provide a vision for the quality measurement enterprise of the future as well as the necessary steps to transition to health IT-enabled measurement, reporting and feedback that drives improvement in care and outcomes. They will also identify challenges moving forward in realizing this vision, including the need for continued public-private collaboration to continuously evolve and improve the enterprise.

    Faculty:

    • Dr. Farzad Mostashari, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, ONC
    • Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
    • Dr. Patrick Conway, Chief Medical Officer, Director, Office of Clinical Quality Standards and Quality , Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

    URL: http://www.nationalehealth.org/HITWeek-Quality External Links Disclaimer

    Fee: No charge

  • HRSA Leadership Tips During a Health IT Implementation Webinar

    Friday, September 14
    2:00pm – 3:30pm ET

    This webinar focuses on the importance of leadership in successfully steering an organization through a health IT implementation. It features established leaders who have conducted more than 70 health IT implementations in health centers, rural health clinics, and critical access hospitals. The presenters will also focus on how leadership is important in helping staff, clinicians, patients, a safety net providers' board, and partners adjust to and overcome the barriers that typically accompany a health IT implementation and impede success. Lastly, the presenters will provide leadership examples of unique health IT implementation situations such as meeting meaningful use objectives, changing vendors, and implementing health IT in multiple provider sites. Presenters include:

    • Terry Hill, MPA, Executive Director and Joe Wivoda, Chief Information Officer
      National Rural Health Resource Center
    • Greg Wolverton, Chief Information Officer
      White River Rural Health Center, Arkansas
    • Doug Smith, Executive Director
      Greene County Healthcare, North Carolina

    Register for the webinar External Links Disclaimer

     

  • HIMSS "Health IT is…" Twitter Chat

    Friday, September 14

    On Friday, September 14, @HIMSS External Links Disclaimer and @HealthStandards External Links Disclaimer are moderating at #HITsm Twitter chat on National Health IT Week at 12 noon ET. More details including chat questions will be shared on the HL7 Standards blog External Links Disclaimer closer to the day.

     

  • Celebrate in Your Hometown

    Find out 10 ways to get involved External Links Disclaimer, whether externally in your community and/or by communicating the value of health IT within your own organization.

     

    View a full list of National Health IT activities taking places across the U.S. External Links Disclaimer, or to visit the National Health IT Week website External Links Disclaimer to learn more.

    It's also easy for individuals and organizations across the country to participate. Potential partners – including corporate, non-profit and academic institutions – should visit the National Health IT Week website Partners page External Links Disclaimer to learn more about generating awareness of health IT in their communities.

     

 

Safeguarding Health Information: Building Assurance through HIPAA Security Purpose

Safeguarding Health Information: Building Assurance through HIPAA Security
Excerpted on Sept 3, 2012 from NIST HIPAA Security Conference http://www.nist.gov/itl/csd/hipaasec.cfm

Purpose:

hipaa logoThe National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR) co-hosted the 5th annual conference Safeguarding Health Information: Building Assurance through HIPAA Security on June 6 & 7, 2012 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

The conference explored the current health information technology security landscape and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule. This event highlighted the present state of health information security, and practical strategies, tips and techniques for implementing the HIPAA Security Rule. The Security Rule set federal standards to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of electronic protected health information by requiring HIPAA covered entities and their business associates to implement and maintain administrative, physical and technical safeguards.

The conference offered important keynote addresses and plenary sessions as well as breakout sessions following two learning tracks around specific areas of security management and technical assurance. Presentations covered a variety of current topics including updates on HHS health information privacy and security initiatives, OCR's enforcement of health information privacy and security activities, integrating security safeguards into health IT, safeguards to secure mobile devices, removing sensitive data from the Internet, and more.

A single registration fee granted access to all presentations on-site and through a live Webcast. Video of the event is available at: http://www.nist.gov/itl/csd/hipaa-security-conference-2012-webcast.cfm.

A live Twitter Chat was conducted using the hashtag #HIPAASecurity.

Lunch and refreshments were served on-site.

Agenda:

Conference Agenda – Final Agenda dated 5/29/2012

Presentations can be viewed from the NIST Computer Security Division's website known as Computer Security Resource Center (CSRC).

Presentations – 2012 HIPAA
Excerpted on Sept 3, 2012 from http://csrc.nist.gov/news_events/hiipaa_june2012/presentations.html (updated: Wed., June 6 @ 10:27am EST.)

NOTE: All presentations posted are in PDF format. Also note, when you click on the link to a presentation, the presentation will open up in a new browser window and this page will still be open in the background.

Wednesday, June 6 (Day 1):

9:00-9:15 Welcome and Logistics
David Holtzman, OCR and Kevin Stine, NIST

9:15-9:30 Leadership Remarks
Matt Scholl, Deputy Chief, Computer Security Division, NIST

9:30-10:15 Risk Management Framework: Privacy Controls
Dr. Ron Ross, NIST

10:30-11:15 Beyond HIPAA: The FTC Privacy Report
Cora Tung Han, FTC

11:15-12:15 Establishing an Access Auditing Program
Cindy Matson, Sanford Health System

1:15-2:00 View From the Cloud: Security Assurance Considerations for a Purchaser
Mac McMillan, HIMSS; and Vince Campitelli, Cloud Security Alliance

2:00-2:45 HHS/ONC Overview
Joy Pritts, Chief Privacy Officer, Office of the National Coordinator

3:00-4:00 (Breakout A-1 Session) Security of Mobile Devices
Lisa Gallagher, HIMSS

3:00-4:00 (Breakout B-1 Session) Security of Health Information When Maximizing Accessibility and Usability
Matt Quinn, NIST, and David Baquis, US Accessibility Board

4:05-4:50 (Breakout A-2 Session) ONC Mobile Device Project
David Shepherd, LMI

4:05-4:50 (Breakout B-2 Session) Integrity Protections
Dan Rode, AHIMA

Thursday, June 7 (Day 2):

9:00-9:30 The Convergence of Privacy and Security in Protecting Health Information
Leon Rodriguez, Director, OCR

9:30-10:30 OCR Audit Program
Linda Sanches, OCR

10:45-11:45 HIPAA Security Rule Toolkit Use Case
Sue Miller, WEDI Security and Privacy Workgroup; Jim Sheldon-Dean, Lewis Creek Systems, LLC and Sherry Wilson, Jopari Solutions

1:00-2:00 Federal Data Breach Response of Health and Consumer Protected Information
David Holtzman, OCR, and Alain Sheer, FTC

2:00-3:00 Data Breach Strikes
Gerard Stegmaier, Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati; and Paul Luehr Stroz Friedberg

3:15-4:00 Security Testing and Assessment Methodologies
Karen Scarfone, Scarfone Cybersecurity; and Richard Metzer, D.Sc. CISSP, Lockheed Martin

4:00-4:45 Meaningful Use Crosswalk to the Security Rule
Adam Greene, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

 

Meaningful Use Stage 2: A Giant Leap in Data Exchange

Health IT Buzz Blog: Meaningful Use Stage 2: A Giant Leap in Data Exchange
Originally published on ONC's Health IT Buzz Blog on August 28, 2012 and republished on e-HealthcareMarketing.com
By Dr. Farzad Mostashari / National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

photo of dr. farzad mostashariThe CMS and ONC Meaningful Use Stage 2 rules we just issued represent a massive step forward in advancing the secure exchange of information between providers and patients to support better care across the nation. Getting the right information to the right person at the right time can be a matter of life and death.  Unfortunately, anyone who has been a patient or cared for a patient understands that it’s simply not happening today.

Back in 2009 when we were drafting the initial set of meaningful use criteria and required standards, our hopes and expectations were subdued by the reality we faced. Different vendor products used different proprietary or local codes, there were strong disagreements about how laboratory results or patient summaries should be packaged, and there was simply no consensus on how the Internet could be used to securely send patient information. Over the past two years, thanks to the initial steps we took in Stage 1 and the relentless work of almost 1,000 volunteers in ONC’s standards and implementation activities, we can now leap towards interoperability and exchange in Stage 2.

Meaningful Use Stage 2 and Health Information Exchange Highlights

  • Common Standards and Implementation Specifications for Electronic Exchange of Information: The Meaningful Use Stage 2 final rules define a common dataset for all summary of care records, including an impressive array of structured and coded data to be formatted uniformly and sent securely during transitions of care, upon discharge, and to be shared with the patient themselves. These include:
    • Patient name and demographic information including preferred language (ISO 639-2 alpha-3), sex, race/ethnicity (OMB Ethnicity) and date of birth
    • Vital signs including height, weight, blood pressure, and smoking status (SNOMED CT)
    • Encounter diagnosis (SNOMED CT or ICD-10-CM)
    • Procedures (SNOMED CT)
    • Medications (RxNorm) and medication allergies (RxNorm)
    • Laboratory test results (LOINC)
    • Immunizations (CVX)
    • Functional status including activities of daily living, cognitive and disability status
    • Care plan field including goals and instructions
    • Care team including primary care provider of record
    • Reason for referral and referring provider’s name and office contact information (for providers)
    • Discharge instructions (for hospitals)

In addition, there are a host of detailed standards and implementation specifications for a number of other transactions including quality reporting, laboratory results, electronic prescribing, immunizations, cancer registries, and syndromic surveillance (see below for a detailed list).

What does this mean? It means that we are able to break down barriers to the electronic exchange of information and decrease the cost and complexity of building interfaces between different systems while ensuring providers with certified electronic health record (EHR) technology have the tools in place to share, understand, and incorporate critical patient information. It also means that providers can improve workflow and dig deeper into the data. Certified EHR technology must be able to support identity reconciliation—matching the right record to the right person—and will give doctors the tools to reconcile a new document with the information already on file, for instance by incorporating medications and problems identified by another provider into a patient’s record,  thus creating a single source of truth. The Stage 2 regulations also require developers to build systems that allow each segment of the patient summary, whether it is  procedures or lab results, to be retrievable by the end user, getting us closer to the goal of being able to efficiently search and assemble individual data elements through metadata tags.

  • Rigorous Testing of Exchange for Stage 2: To ensure certified EHR technology supports providers in exchanging health information with greater frequency and across vendor boundaries, ONC will work with NIST to develop an interoperability testing platform for Stage 2 that will rigorously test that EHR technology can send, receive, and incorporate standardized data using the specified standards and protocols. Any EHR technology that meets the demanding testing requirements should be able to send and receive standardized information with other certified EHRs. We will need your help over the coming months to develop and vet the Stage 2 certification test scripts. Check back to www.healthit.gov soon for additional information on this initiative.
  • Actual Electronic Exchange of Clinical Information: By 2014, providers will have to demonstrate, and vendors will have to support, the actual exchange of structured care summaries with other providers—including across vendor boundaries—and with patients. Whether through “push” or “query” methods, the requirements in the rule assure exchange is occurring while avoiding undue burden on providers and vendors to track and measure this exchange. As we stated unequivocally in the final rule (a dramatic reading of which is available Exit Disclaimer), we will pay close attention to whether the requirements in the rule are sufficient to make vendor-to-vendor exchange attainable for providers. If there is not sufficient progress or we continue to see barriers that create data silos or “walled gardens Exit Disclaimer,” we will revisit our meaningful use approach and consider other options to achieve our policy intent.

While any rule-making includes some compromises between the aspirational goals we want to achieve and the reality of where the market is, we continue to make progress toward the ultimate goal of nationwide health information exchanges. By setting ambitious, but achievable targets for providers and vendors alike, I’m confident that we’ll see the same hockey stick progress we’ve seen for adoption of EHRs for information exchange. The push on standards-based information exchange and other Meaningful Use Stage 2 requirements will allow the country to make meaningful use of the meaningful use roadmap for more coordinated, safer, and better care.

For More Information

MU Stage 2 Chart
Meaningful Use Chart Stage 2Meaningful Use Stage 2 Chart
 

 

CMS Issues New Version of FAQs for EHR Incentive Payment Program

CMS Issued new version of FAQs in an Excel workbook in August 23, 2012.

CMS EHR FAQs 2012 (ZIP) Excerpted from Downloads section on FAQs page on August 26, 2012. Workbook within zip file.
As of 8/29/2012, THE ABOVE DOWNLOADABLE FILES HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN AND ARE EXPECTED TO BE REPLACED SOON.

[EHR Incentive Programs] How and when will incentive payments for the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EH…
For eligible professionals (EPs), incentive payments for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program will be made approximately f… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] When eligible professionals work at more than one clinical site of practice, are t…
CMS considers these two separate, but related issues.Meaningful use: Any eligible professional demonstrating mean… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What do the numerators and denominators mean in measures that are required to demo…
There are 15 measures for EPs and 14 measures for eligible hospitals that require the collection of data to calculate a … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What are the EHR reporting periods for eligible hospitals participating in both th…
There are two factors that determine the EHR reporting period for hospitals eligible for both the Medicare and Medica… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Do specialty providers have to meet all of the meaningful use objectives for …
For eligible professionals (EPs) who participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, there are a tot… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If an eligible professional (EP) in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program wants to le…
EPs may use a clinic or group practice's patient volume as a proxy for their own under three conditions:(1) T… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Who can enter medication orders in order to meet the measure for the computerized …
Any licensed healthcare professional can enter orders into the medical record for purposes of including the order in the… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If an eligible professional (EP) sees a patient in a setting that does not have ce…
Yes for Stage 1, an EP may include patients seen in locations without certified EHR technology in the numerators and … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] In order to receive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Rec…
In order to receive Medicare EHR incentive payments, EPs, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals must have… (more)
If an eligible professional (EP) is unable to meet the measure of a Meaningful Use objective because it is …
Some Meaningful Use objectives provide exclusions and others do not. Exclusions are available only when our regulations … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, i…
In most cases, an eligible professional or eligible hospital is not limited to demonstrating meaningful use to the ex… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the meaningful use objective to "record and chart changes in vital signs" for …
An exclusion for this objective is provided only for EPs who either see no patients 2 years or older, or who believe … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, d…
For the hospital meaningful use objectives, the denominator is all unique patients admitted to an inpatient (POS 21) or … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For meaningful use objectives of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Recor…
No, if multiple EPs are using the same certified EHR technology in different physical locations/settings (e.g., differen… (more)
For eligible professionals (EPs) who see patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings (e.g., hospital…
In this case, EPs should base both the numerators and denominators for meaningful use objectives on the number of unique… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] My practice does not typically collect information on any of the core, alternate c…
EPs are not excluded from reporting clinical quality measures, but zero is an acceptable value for the CQM denominato… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the meaningful use objective of "capability to exchange key clinical informati…
For the purposes of the "capability to exchange key clinical information" measure, exchange is defined as electronic tra… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What information must an eligible professional provide in order to meet the measur…
In our final rule, we defined "clinical summary" as: an after-visit summary that provides a patient with relevant and ac… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can an eligible professional (EP) implement an electronic health record (EHR) syst…
For a Medicare EP's first payment year, the EHR reporting period is a continuous 90-day period within a calendar year… (more)
If a provider feeds data from certified electronic health record (EHR) technology to a data warehouse, can …
To be a meaningful EHR user a provider must do three things:Have complete certified EHR technology for all meani… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] A number of measures for Meaningful Use objectives for eligible hospitals and crit…
There are two methods for calculating ED admissions for the denominators for measures associated with Stage 1 of Mean… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Is my practice eligible to receive incentive payments through the Medicare and Med…
Incentive payments are not made to practices but to individual eligible professionals (EPs). For more information abo… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can two separate practices with two different Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) pu…
Yes. Incentive payments are made based on the demonstration of meaningful use by individual eligible professionals (E… (more)
[EHR Incentive Program] I am an eligible professional (EP) who has successfully attested for the Medicare E…
For EPs, incentive payments for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program will be made approximately four to eight weeks aft… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can eligible professionals (EPs) receive electronic health record (EHR) incentive …
Not for the same year. If an EP meets the requirements of both programs, they must choose to receive an EHR incentive pa… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What information must an eligible professional provide in order to meet the measur…
In our final rule, we defined "clinical summary" as: an after-visit summary that provides a patient with relevant and ac… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, h…
To report clinical quality measures, eligible hospitals and CAHs that have multiple systems should generate a report … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If a provider purchases a certified Complete Electronic Health Record (EHR) or has…
No, the provider would not be able to successfully demonstrate meaningful use. To successfully demonstrate meaningful… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the meaningful use objective of "record demographics" for the Medicare and Med…
Eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must record in the patient's EHR the clinical impression and … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, how are the reporting periods for Medicaid…
Regardless of when the previous incentive payment was made, the following reporting periods apply for the Medicaid EH… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Is a hospital participating in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs re…
The technical specifications issued by CMS for the clinical quality measures under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Ince… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What lab tests should be included in the denominator of the measure for the "incor…
For the "incorporate clinical lab-test results" objective, the denominator consists of the number of lab tests ordere… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, how will non-standard (or ir…
This question was addressed in our Federal Register preamble (75 FR 44452) and in our rules requiring the use of a 12… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] When calculating Medicaid patient volume or needy patient volume for the Medicaid …
There are multiple definitions of encounter in terms of how it applies to the various requirements for patient volume… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If an eligible professional (EP) does not accept assignment for Medicare Part B, i…
An EP that is not a Medicare participating physician or supplier, but still submits claims to Medicare for Part B phy… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Will the resident physicians be eligible to participate in the Medicare and Medica…
For the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, all eligible professionals must meet their state's scope of practice rules to pa… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Do providers have to contribute a minimum dollar amount toward their certified EHR…
There is no general requirement under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs for providers to contribute a … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can an eligible hospital implement an electronic health record (EHR) system a…
For an eligible hospital's first payment year, the EHR reporting period is a continuous 90-day period within a Federa… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] To what attestation statements must an eligible professional (EP), eligible hospit…
Currently, the attestation process requires EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs to indicate that they agree with the fo… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the meaningful use objective of "capability to exchange key clinical informati…
No, the use of physical media such as a CD-ROM, a USB or hard drive, or other formats to exchange key clinical inform… (more)
Are nursery days and nursery discharges (for newborns) included as acute-inpatient services in the calculat…
No, nursery days and discharges are not included in inpatient bed-day or discharge counts in calculating hospital incent… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are optometrists considered eligible professionals for the Medicaid EHR Incen…
Under Medicare, a doctor of optometry is considered a physician (and therefore an EP) with respect to all services the o… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, h…
EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs should look at the measure of each meaningful use objective to determine the approp… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Do providers register only once for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Re…
Providers are only required to register once for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. However, they must… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are professional services rendered by physicians or other eligible professional th…
No. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act created an EHR incentive payment … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] To meet the Stage 1 public health meaningful use objectives (submitting infor…
CMS recognizes that there are a variety of methods in which the exchange of public health information could take place. … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Must providers have their electronic health record (EHR) technology certified prio…
No. An EP or hospital may begin the EHR reporting period for demonstrating Meaningful Use before their EHR technology… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Will academic physicians employed by an academic medical center billing under the …
Physicians who furnish substantially all, defined as 90% or more, of their covered professional services in either an… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Do States need to verify the "installation" or "a signed contract" for adopt, impl…
States should make clear to providers when they attest for AIU what documentation they must maintain, and for how lon… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] After successfully demonstrating meaningful use for the Medicare and Medicaid Elec…
Eligible professionals (EPs) participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program will receive a single lump sum payme… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, h…
The CPOE measure is structured to minimize reporting burden.  However, if all of the following conditions a… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are mental health practitioners eligible to participate in the Medicare and Medica…
Mental health providers would only be eligible for incentive payments if they meet the criteria of a Medicare or Medi… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If an eligible hospital or critical access hospital (CAH) has a rehabilitation uni…
No. CMS specified in the final rule that the statutory definition of "hospital" used in the EHR Incentive Program doe… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Is the physician the only person who can enter information in the electronic healt…
No. The Final Rule for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs, specifies that in order to meet the meaningful … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For large practices, will there be a method to register all of the Eligible Profes…
In April 2011, CMS implemented functionality that allows an EP to designate a third party to register and attest on h… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, when a patient is only seen …
The EP can include or not include those patients in their denominator at their discretion as long as the decision app… (more)
How should eligible professionals (EPs) select menu objectives for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Hea…
EPs are required to report on a total of 5 meaningful use objectives from the menu set. When selecting five objectives f… (more)
For the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, how does an eligible professional (EP) determine whet…
All cases where the EP and the patient have an actual physical encounter with the patient in which they render any servi… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] How should nursery day patients be counted in the denominators of meaningful use m…
Nursery days are excluded from the calculation of hospital incentives because they are not considered inpatient-bed-d… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What are the requirements for dentists participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive…
Dentists must meet the same eligibility requirements as other eligible professionals (EP) in order to qualify for pay… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Does the person who completes the registration for the Medicare and Medicaid Elect…
No. For Medicare providers, CMS has determined that if there are multiple users approved to work on behalf of an elig… (more)
What is the reporting period for eligible hospitals participating in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic H…
For an eligible hospital or critical access hospital's first payment year, the EHR reporting period is a continuous 9… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If my certified EHR technology only includes the capability to submit information …
If the immunization registry does not accept information in the standard to which your EHR technology has been certif… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If the denominators for all three of the core clinical quality measures are zero, …
If the denominator value for all three of the core clinical quality measures is zero, an EP must report a zero denominat… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] How will I attest for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Inc…
Medicare eligible professionals and eligible hospitals will have to demonstrate meaningful use through CMS' web-based… (more)
What information must an eligible professional (EP), eligible hospital or critical access hospital (CAH) pr…
In our final rule, we limited the information that must be provided electronically to that information that exists elect… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] In order to meet the participation threshold of 50 percent of patient encounters i…
To be a meaningful EHR user, an EP must have 50 percent or more of their patient encounters during the EHR reporting … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the "Incorporate clinical lab-test results" menu objective of the Medicare and…
For the "Incorporate clinical lab-test results" menu objective, a provider's certified EHR technology might return a … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If data is captured using certified electronic health record (EHR) technology, can…
By definition, certified EHR technology must include the capability to electronically record the numerator and denomi… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] I am an eligible professional (EP) for whom none of the core, alternate core, or a…
In the event that none of the 44 clinical quality measures applies to an EP's patient population, the EP is still req… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] To meet the meaningful use objective “capability to exchange key clinical informat…
In order to meet this objective, clinical information must be sent between different legal entities with distinct certif… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What cost report data elements are used in the EHR incentive payment calculation f…
The current Medicare cost report, Form CMS 2552-96, will be used until the implementation of the new Medicare cost re… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For meaningful use objectives of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Recor…
Yes, it is acceptable to conduct a test of information exchange from a test environment or test domain of certified EHR … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can eligible professionals (EPs) use clinical quality measures from the alternate …
No, if EPs report data on all three clinical quality measures from the core set, they would not report on any from th… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are there any special incentives for rural providers in the Medicare and Medicare …
Under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, the maximum allowed charge threshold for the annual incentive payment limit… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What is the definition of "reasonable cost" for critical access hospitals (CAHs) u…
The reasonable costs for which a CAH may receive an EHR incentive payment are the reasonable acquisition costs for th… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If a hospital is eligible to participate in both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Inc…
If your hospital meets all of the following qualifications, it is dually-eligible for the Medicare and Medicai… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, is there a minimum number of hours per w…
Yes, a part-time EP who meets all other eligibility requirements could qualify for payments under the Medicaid EHR In… (more)
How is hospital-based status determined for eligible professionals in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic …
A hospital-based eligible professional (EP) is defined as an EP who furnishes 90% or more of their covered professional … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Does a provider have to record all clinical data in their certified EHR technology…
We recognize that providers are continuing to implement new workflow processes to accurately capture clinical data in… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, can a non-hospital based eligible professi…
Yes, an EP who sees patients in an in-patient setting, and is not hospital based, can include the in-patient encounte… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What if a group of providers purchase and share certified EHR technology? Can…
Yes, but only the portion that pertains to the specific CAH.  If there is a special arrangement whe… (more)
For the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, should patient encounters …
Yes. EPs who practice in multiple locations must have 50 percent or more of their patient encounters during the reportin… (more)
[EHR Incentive Payments] How much are the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) incentive pa…
Under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, EPs who demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology can receive up … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If an eligible professional (EP) meets the criteria for both the Medicare and Medi…
EPs   Yes. EPs who meet the eligibility requirements for both the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What is the earliest date the payment adjustments will start to be imposed on Medi…
Medicare payment adjustments will begin in 2015 for EPs and eligible hospitals that do not demonstrate meaningful use… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Under the Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, if an eligibl…
First, it is important to note that when discussing 2013, CMS stated that it expects to engage in another cycle of ru… (more)
Can the drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction alerts of my electronic health record (EHR) also be used to …
No. The drug-drug and drug-allergy checks and the implementation of one clinical decision support rule are separate core… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] To meet the meaningful use objective "use certified EHR technology to identify pat…
In the patient-specific education resources objective, education resources or materials do not have to be stored with… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Will ambulatory surgical centers be eligible for incentive payments under the Medi…
Ambulatory surgical centers are not eligible for EHR incentive payments. The following types of institutional provide… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] I entered numerator and denominator information during my Medicare Electronic Heal…
CMS does not plan to conduct an audit to find providers who relied on flawed software for their attestation informati… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, if the EHR Repo…
The payment year is the year for which the payment is made (see 42 CFR 495.4 and the definition of “First, second, th… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] To meet the Meaningful Use objective "maintain an up-to-date problem list of curre…
The Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs do not specify the use of ICD-9 and SNOME… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] How can I change my attestation information after I have attested and/or received …
If you discover that the information you entered during your Medicare attestation was not complete and accurate for some… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If the State chooses to use the cost report in the Medicaid EHR incentive hospital…
Based on the Medicare cost report guidance, Form CMS 2552-96 will be used until the implementation of the new Medicar… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can an eligible professional (EP) use EHR technology certified for an inpatient se…
Yes. For objectives and measures where the capabilities and standards of EHR technology designed and certified for an… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] When will a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) receive its Medicare EHR incentive paym…
Upon submission of a successful attestation, the CAH will be eligible for an EHR incentive payment. In order for the … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] How do I know if my electronic health record (EHR) system is certified? How can I …
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs require the use of certified EHR technology, as established by a new se… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Do Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) sites have to meet the 30% minimum Med…
Eligible professionals may participate in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program if: 1) They meet Medicaid patient volume… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What provisions are there for tribal clinics to receive payments from the Medicare…
Clinics are not eligible for EHR incentive payments. However, eligible professionals who qualify for an EHR incentive pa… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, i…
No, the EP is not responsible for determining the status of CQMs that their certified EHR technology is not capable o… (more)
Are physicians who practice in hospital-based ambulatory clinics eligible to receive Medicare or Medicaid e…
A hospital-based eligible professional (EP) is defined as an EP who furnishes 90% or more of their services in either in… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] When will a Medicare Subsection (d) Hospital be paid under the Medicare EHR Incent…
Upon submission of a successful attestation of meaningful use, the hospital will be eligible for an EHR incentive pay… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What is the maximum electronic health record (EHR) incentive an eligible professio…
EPs who successfully demonstrate meaningful use certified EHR technology as early as 2011 or 2012 may be eligible for… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, can a qualifying eligible professional (…
Yes, EPs are permitted to reassign their incentive payments to their employer or to an entity with which they have a … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] In recording height as part of the core Meaningful Use objective "Recording vital …
In cases where taking an actual height measurement is inappropriate, self-reported or estimated height can be used…. (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are eligible professionals (EPs) who practice in State Mental Health and Long Term…
The setting in which a physician, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, or dentist practices is generally irre… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] When calculating inpatient bed days for the Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR…
Swing beds days that are used to furnish skilled nursing facility (SNF) or nursing facility-level care would not norm… (more)
What if the Home Office purchases the certified EHR technology for the Critical Access Hospital (CAH)?
If the certified EHR technology assets were purchased by the Home Office for the CAH, and the CAH meets the Meaningful U… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the meaningful use objective of "generate and transmit prescriptions electroni…
The denominator for this objective consists of the number of prescriptions written for drugs requiring a prescription… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can eligible professionals participate in the 2011 Physician Quality Reporting Sys…
The Physician Quality Reporting System, eRx Incentive Program, and EHR Incentive Program are three distinctly separat… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are Medicaid eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals subject to paymen…
There are no payment adjustments or penalties for Medicaid providers who fail to demonstrate meaningful use.F… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If a patient is dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, can they be counte…
For purposes of calculating the Medicaid share, a patient cannot be counted in the numerator if they would count for … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If my certified electronic health record (EHR) technology is capable of submitting…
Submitting batch files to an immunization registry, provided that they are formatted according to the standards adopt… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] How does CMS define Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Rural Health Cent…
The Social Security Act at section 1905(l)(2) defines an FQHC as an entity which, "(i) is receiving a grant under sec… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] One of the menu set Meaningful Use objectives for the Medicare and Medicaid Electr…
The only requirement to meet the measure of this objective is that more than 40 percent of all clinical lab tests result… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] To meet the meaningful use objective "use computerized provider order entry (CPOE)…
If the patient has records that are maintained in both the hospital's certified EHR system and the EP's certified EHR sy… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] It seems that each State has the latitude to define the 12-month period from which…
No, this is not correct. The regulation is clear that the discharge-related amount must be calculated using a 12-mont… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) include costs to lease/rent certified EHR tec…
Under the statute and the regulations, the CAHs EHR incentive payment shall only include reasonable costs for the pur… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] To meet the meaningful use objective "provide patients with an electronic copy of …
If the request for an electronic copy of their health information is made by a patient to a specific EP, then the pat… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can Critical Access Hospital (CAH) costs only be included in the first year for Me…
No, if the CAH incurs reasonable costs for certified EHR technology in subsequent payment years, it may receive addit… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] How does CMS define pediatrician for purposes of the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program?
CMS does not define pediatrician for this program. Pediatricians have special eligibility and payment flexibilities o… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] One of the measures for the core set of clinical quality measures for eligible pro…
An eligible professional (EP) is not excluded from reporting core clinical quality measures. However, zero is an accepta… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What if a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) purchases certified EHR technology, and t…
The CAH may only include the portion of the reasonable costs of the hardware that pertains to certified EHR technolog… (more)
What is the reporting period for eligible professionals (EPs) participating in the electronic health record…
For demonstrating meaningful use through both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, the EHR reporting period… (more)
Do I need to have an electronic health record (EHR) system in order to register for the Medicare and Medica…
You do not need to have a certified EHR in order to register for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Howev… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] How will eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals apply for i…
Registration for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program is open and available online at … (more)
In a group practice, will each provider need to demonstrate meaningful use in order to get Medicare and Med…
Yes. Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments are made on a per EP basis, not by practice. Each EP will need to demonstr… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Will EHR Incentive Payments be subject to audits under OMB Circular A-133?
Incentive payments made to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals under the Medicar… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, i…
Through 2013, yes, the EP can submit results for CQMs in the additional set (Table 6 of the Stage 1 final rule) calcu… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If a patient visit spans several days and the patient is seen by multiple eligible…
When a patient visit lasts several days and the patient is seen by multiple EPs, a single clinical summary at the end… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can providers participating in the Medicare or Medicaid Electronic Health Record (…
Yes, providers who have registered for the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs may correct errors or update i… (more)
Do controlled substances qualify as "permissible prescriptions" for meeting the electronic prescribing (eRx…
The term "permissible prescriptions" refers to the restrictions that were established by the Department of Justice (DOJ)… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If a dually-eligible hospital initially registers only for the Medicaid EHR Incent…
Hospitals that are eligible for EHR incentive payments under both Medicare and Medicaid should select "Both Medicare … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can I use the electronic specifications for clinical quality measures to satisfy b…
No. Each program has specific specifications for reporting. In the future CMS expects to harmonize specifications bet… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Where can I find a list of public health agencies and immunization registries to s…
For information and/or instructions on where to submit your public health-related data, please contact your local or … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the meaningful use objective of "provide summary care record for each transiti…
No, patients who transition between EPs within the same practice and who share the same certified EHR technology should … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If a provider purchases a Complete Electronic Health Record (EHR) but opts to use …
To successfully demonstrate meaningful use a provider must do three things:1. Have certified EHR technology capa… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What costs can be included in the Critical Access Hospital's Medicare EHR incentiv…
The EHR incentive payment shall only include reasonable costs for the purchase of certified EHR technology to which p… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] How should patients in swing beds be counted in the denominators of meaningful use…
A number of the meaningful use measures for eligible hospitals and CAHs require the denominator to be based on the nu… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] The billing provider on a claim is an eligible professional (EP) but the performin…
In establishing an encounter for purposes of patient volume, please see the regulations at 495.306(e)(2)(i)-(ii) at 7… (more)
Are physicians who work in hospitals eligible to receive Medicare or Medicaid electronic health record (EHR…
Physicians who furnish substantially all, defined as 90% or more, of their covered professional services in either an in… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can eligible professionals (EPs) allow another person to register or attest for them?
Yes. Users registering or attesting on behalf of an EP must have an Identity and Access Management System (I&A) w… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What if the Home Office leases the certified EHR technology and allocates it to th…
If the Home Office is leasing the certified EHR technology, and allocating cost to the CAH, it cannot be included in … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] In order to satisfy the Meaningful Use objective for electronic prescribing (eRx) …
The meaningful use measure for e-prescribing is the electronic transmission of 40 percent of all permissible prescrip… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] The meaningful use standards for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Recor…
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has awarded funds to 56 states, eligib… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are payments from the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incenti…
We note that nothing in the Act excludes such payments from taxation or as tax-free income. Therefore, it is our belief … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Is data sharing with neighboring States permitted regarding total Medicaid days fo…
Yes. The CMS Stage 1 final rule  clarifies the policy about calculating patient volume for Medicaid provide… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) under the Medicare and…
No. For all clinical quality measures reported for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, the certified EH… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What if a Critical Access Hospital (CAH) purchases certified EHR technology, but i…
The CAH may only include the portion of the reasonable costs of the system that pertains to certified EHR technology … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What is meaningful use, and how does it apply to the Medicare and Medicaid Electro…
Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH Act), which was enacted under the Ameri… (more)
How will the public know who has received EHR incentive payments under Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive …
As required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, CMS will post the names, business addresses, and busi… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the meaningful use objective "Capability to submit electronic syndromic survei…
Syndromic surveillance uses individual and population health indicators that are available before confirmed diagnoses… (more)
Under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, will the requirement that eligible professionals and eligible hos…
If the State required any of the public health measures as core measures for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, then th… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] My electronic health record (EHR) system is CCHIT certified. Does that mean it is …
No. All EHR systems and technology must be certified specifically for this program. The Certified Health IT Product L… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the “Incorporate clinical lab-test results” menu objective of the Medicare and…
For the “Incorporate clinical lab-test results” menu objective, a provider’s certified EHR technology might return a … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Per CMS #3017 (or old FAQ #10417), my tribal clinic is considered a Federally Qual…
Since your clinic receives IHS funding, the encounters are not truly "uncompensated", but the encounters would be con… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] When we count encounters in a clinic or medical group (or medical home model) for …
Our regulations did not address whether these non-EP encounters could be considered in the estimate of patient volume… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] In order to qualify for payment under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program for havin…
Yes. This is an official letter from the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the IHS clinic genera… (more)
If I am receiving payments under the CMS Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program, can I also receive…
No, if an eligible professional (EP) earns an incentive under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, he or she cannot recei… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs' clinical quality measures (C…
The measure steward recommends that hospitals use the data element 'ED Patient', defined as any patient receiving car… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can a federally-owned Indian Health Service facility qualify as an eligible hospit…
Acute care hospitals under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program must: · Have an average length of stay of 2… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If patients are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, can they be counte…
For purposes of calculating the Medicaid share, a patient cannot be counted in the numerator if they would count for … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What if my electronic health record (EHR) system costs much more than the incentiv…
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide incentives for the meaningful use of certified EHR technolog… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, …
To receive an EHR incentive payment, the provider (eligible professional (EP), eligible hospital or critica… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What is the purpose of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology?
Certification of EHR technology will provide assurance to purchasers and other users that an EHR system or product of… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] We are a tribal clinic with one full-time physician, one part-time pediatrician, o…
Clinics are not directly eligible for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program payments, however if the practitioners at yo… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If a State utilizes the option to include patient panels when looking at patient v…
The requirements for this option to calculate patient volume are to account for eligible professionals treating patients… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Under the Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program, if a provider…
This is correct. 24 CFR 495.4 establishes a one-time exception for providers attesting to meaningful use in 2014 during … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, who do I contact to suggest …
Please contact the measure steward (the entity responsible for maintaining and updating a clinical quality measure) i… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, how do we determine Medicaid patient volum…
CMS leaves it up to the states how to operationalize the patient volume considerations of global payments with the follo… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Where can I get answers to my privacy and security questions about electronic heal…
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is responsible for enforcing the Privacy and Security rules related to the HITECH p… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are physicians who are employed directly by a tribally-operated facility and who m…
Physicians are one of the categories of eligible professionals under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. If they… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Will long term care providers such as nursing homes be eligible for incentive paym…
Nursing homes, per se, are not eligible. The following types of institutional providers are eligible for EHR incentiv… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are the criteria for needy patient volumes under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Progra…
Criteria for minimum patient volumes attributable to needy individuals apply only to EPs practicing predominantly in … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What is the maximum incentive an eligible professional (EP) can receive under the …
EPs who adopt, implement, upgrade, and meaningfully use EHRs can receive a maximum of $63,750 in incentive payments f… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What safeguards are in place to ensure that Medicaid electronic health record (EHR…
Like the Medicare EHR incentive program, neither the statute nor the CMS Stage 1 final rule dictate how a Medicaid … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are pediatric subspecialists considered pediatricians for purposes of qualifying u…
For the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, States will define “pediatrician” in a manner consistent with how they define… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For calculation of a Medicaid hospital’s electronic health record (EHR) incentive …
The average annual growth rate should be for discharges (see 1903(t)(5)(B), referring to the annual rate of growth of… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Do recipients of Medicare or Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive pay…
No. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive payments made to providers are not subject to Recovery Act 1512 reporting… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Does the provision requiring that States pay the incentive "without deduction or r…
The requirement that the incentives be passed to providers "without deduction or rebate" refers to requiring that the… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can tribal clinics be treated as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) for th…
CMS previously issued guidance stating that health care facilities owned and operated by American Indian and Alaska Nati… (more)
[EHR Incentiver Programs] If a State proposes a new definition for meaningful use under its Medicaid EHR In…
Yes, if a State wishes to request flexibility with the definition of meaningful use, to the extent permissible under … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Does a State have the option of solely using a state-submitted alternative methodo…
Yes, the State can submit to us for approval only the alternative methodology that meets the requirements of 495.306(g)…. (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] If a State has a team of staff members who will be administering the Medicaid EHR …
Yes. However, if state staff members are not working full-time on the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, their salaries … (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can hospitals in the U.S. Territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, Northern…
Hospitals in the U.S. Territories cannot receive incentive payments under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. For the… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Who is Figliozzi and Company?
Figliozzi and Company will be performing the meaningful use audits for CMS. If you are selected for an audit you… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Is there an assumption or expectation from CMS that States identify local Regional…
States are not required to identify RECs as EHR adoption entities. Under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, it is en… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Assuming that the request excludes activities funded by the Office of the National…
The enhanced match rate depends upon whether the Health Information Exchange solution is using Medicaid Management In… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Can Indian Health Service (IHS) clinics or group practices qualify for the panel t…
Yes, the Indian Health Service (IHS) has managed care and/or primary care patient panels and would be able to qualify… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What is Stage 2 for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs?
In August 2012, CMS published a final rule that specifies the Stage 2 meaningful use criteria that eligible professio… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] For the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, what changes were made to St…
The August 23, 2012, final rule includes some changes to the Stage 1 meaningful use objectives, measures, and exclusi… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] The EHR Incentive Programs Stage 1 Rule stated that, in order for a Medicaid encou…
Importantly, this change affecting the Medicaid patient volume calculation is applicable to all eligible providers, r… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] The EHR Incentive Programs Stage 2 Rule describes changes to how a state considers…
States that have offered CHIP as part of a Medicaid expansion under Title 19 or Title 21 can include those patients i… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] Are there any changes in the EHR Incentive Programs Stage 2 Rule to the base year …
Yes. Previously Medicaid eligible hospitals calculated the base year using a 12 month period ending in the Federal fisca… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What are the payment adjustments for eligible professionals who are not participat…
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), Congress mandated payment adjustments to be app… (more)
[EHR Incentive Programs] What are the payment adjustments for eligible hospitals and critical access hospit…
As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), Congress mandated payment adjustments to be app… (more)

 

Meaningful Use Stage 2: CMS and ONC Release Final Rule for Meaningful Use and Certification

Meaningful Use Stage 2: CMS and ONC Release Final Rule for Meaningful Use and Certification
Excerpted from HealthIT.gov and CMS.gov on August 26, 2012

On August 23, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final rule which establishes Stage 2 of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, updates Stage 1, and includes other program modifications. At the same time the Office of National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) released the 2014 Edition Standards and Certification Criteria (S&CC) final rule which completes ONC’s second full rulemaking cycle to adopt standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHR technology.

The CMS  final rule specifies the Stage 2 criteria that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet in order to continue to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. All providers must achieve meaningful use under the Stage 1 criteria before moving to Stage 2.

The 2014 Edition S&CC final rule reflects ONC’s commitment to reduce regulatory burden; promote patient safety and patient engagement; enhance EHR technology’s interoperability, electronic health information exchange capacity, public health reporting, and security; enable clinical quality measure data capture, calculation, and electronic submission to CMS or states; and introduce greater transparency and efficiency to the certification process.

CMS Final Rule

CMS Resources

ONC Final Rule

ONC Resources

Other Resources

Stage 2 Timeline
The earliest that the Stage 2 criteria will be effective is in fiscal year 2014 for eligible hospitals and CAHs or calendar year 2014 for EPs. The table below illustrates the progression of meaningful use stages from when a Medicare provider begins participation in the program.

1st Year

Stage of Meaningful Use

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2011

1

1

1

2

2

3

3

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

2012

1

1

2

2

3

3

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

2013

1

1

2

2

3

3

TBD

TBD

TBD

2014

1

1

2

2

3

3

TBD

TBD

2015

1

1

2

2

3

3

TBD

2016

1

1

2

2

3

3

2017

1

1

2

2

3

Note that providers who were early demonstrators of meaningful use in 2011 will meet three consecutive years of meaningful use under the Stage 1 criteria before advancing to the Stage 2 criteria in 2014. All other providers would meet two years of meaningful use under the Stage 1 criteria before advancing to the Stage 2 criteria in their third year.

In the first year of participation, providers must demonstrate meaningful use for a 90-day EHR reporting period; in subsequent years, providers will demonstrate meaningful use for a full year EHR reporting period (an entire fiscal year for hospitals or an entire calendar year for EPs) except in 2014, which is described below. Providers who participate in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs are not required to demonstrate meaningful use in consecutive years as described by the table above, but their progression through the stages of meaningful use would follow the same overall structure of two years meeting the criteria of each stage, with the first year of meaningful use participation consisting of a 90-day EHR reporting period.

For 2014 only, all providers regardless of their stage of meaningful use are only required to demonstrate meaningful use for a 3-month EHR reporting period. For Medicare providers, this 3-month reporting period is fixed to the quarter of either the fiscal (for eligible hospitals and CAHs) or calendar (for EPs) year in order to align with existing CMS quality measurement programs, such as the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR). The 3-month reporting period is not fixed for Medicaid EPs and hospitals that are only eligible to receive Medicaid EHR incentives, where providers do not have the same alignment needs. CMS is permitting this one-time 3-month reporting period in 2014 only so that all providers who must upgrade to 2014 Certified EHR Technology will have adequate time to implement their new Certified EHR systems.

Core and Menu Objectives
Stage 2 uses a core and menu structure for objectives that providers must to achieve in order to demonstrate meaningful use. Core objectives are objectives that all providers must meet. There is also a predetermined number of menu objectives that providers must select from a list and meet in order to demonstrate meaningful use.
To demonstrate meaningful use under Stage 2 criteria—

  • EPs must meet 17 core objectives and 3 menu objectives that they select from a total list of 6, or a total of 20 core objectives.
  • Eligible hospitals and CAHs must meet 16 core objectives and 3 menu objectives that they select from a total list of 6, or a total of 19 core objectives.

Download the Stage 2 Overview Tipsheet for a complete list of the Stage 2 core and menu objectives for both EPs and eligible hospitals and CAHs. Providers can also download a table of the Stage 2 core and menu objectives and measures by clicking on the links below:

  • Stage 1 vs. Stage 2 Core and Menu Objectives for EPs
  • Stage 1 vs. Stage 2 Core and Menu Objectives for Eligible Hospitals and CAHs

Clinical Quality Measures for 2014 and Beyond
All providers are required to report on CQMs in order to demonstrate meaningful use. Beginning in 2014, all providers regardless of their stage of meaningful use will report on CQMs in the same way.

  • EPs must report on 9 out of 64 total CQMs.
  • Eligible hospitals and CAHs must report on 16 out of 29 total CQMs.

In addition, all providers must select CQMs from at least 3 of the 6 key health care policy domains recommended by the Department of Health and Human Sevices’ National Quality Strategy:

  • Patient and Family Engagement
  • Patient Safety
  • Care Coordination
  • Population and Public Health
  • Efficient Use of Healthcare Resources
  • Clinical Processes/Effectiveness

A complete list of 2014 CQMs and their associated National Quality Strategy domains will be posted on the Clinical Quality Measures tab in the future. CMS will also post a recommended core set of CQMs for EPs that focus on high-priority clinical conditions.
For more detailed information on 2014 CQMs and electronic reporting options, click to download our 2014 Clinical Quality Measures Tipsheet.