You might be aware that Meaningful Use Stage 2 requirements went through numerous modifications in 2014, with eligible health care providers now having more time and options for participating in the Electronic Healthcare Record Incentive Programs. Recent development happened when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revealed that eligible hospitals, healthcare providers, and various critical access hospitals would have until December 31, 2014 rather than November 30 for the completion of their Meaningful Use Stage 2 attestation for the Medicare Electronic Healthcare Records Incentive Program 2014 reporting year.
This most recent announcement follows the latest trend that has happened during the year of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pulling back supposedly hard and fast regulations and deadlines for Meaningful Use Stage 2 in 2014.
Along with eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals, now even eligible professionals could claim 2014 EHR vendor issues as a MU hardship exception for steering clear of Medicare payment adjustments that may require happening the following year.
CMS encountered huge pushback from medical care industry associations calling for a delay of Meaningful Use Stage 2 and enhanced meaningful use flexibility for providers.
After that came a May proposed rule for assisting providers to make use of CEHRT and to extend Stage 2 of the Electronic Health Records Incentive Programs through 2016, which became final in August.
The thing is that, flexibility, however, did not turn out to fix the issues facing eligible health providers, including those wishing to demonstrate meaningful use using these latest options as a result of faults in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System. This resulted into reopening the MU hardship exception submission period recently. As Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mentioned, the reopening applied to only certain eligible healthcare providers. Even with the flexibility, it did not satisfy the concerns of various provider associations including the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
“For physicians, the upside is that they can essentially avoid penalties, given the fact that many of the physicians who were crying the loudest about this were ready to attest or they wanted to take advantage of new flexibilities in order to attest but the CMS website wouldn’t allow It,” CHIME Director of Public Policy Jeff Smith added. “The downside is That Physicians lose out on the incentive payment possibility.”
This most recent announcement follows the latest trend that has happened during the year of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services pulling back supposedly hard and fast regulations and deadlines for Meaningful Use Stage 2 in 2014.
Along with eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals, now even eligible professionals could claim 2014 EHR vendor issues as a MU hardship exception for steering clear of Medicare payment adjustments that may require happening the following year.
CMS encountered huge pushback from medical care industry associations calling for a delay of Meaningful Use Stage 2 and enhanced meaningful use flexibility for providers.
After that came a May proposed rule for assisting providers to make use of CEHRT and to extend Stage 2 of the Electronic Health Records Incentive Programs through 2016, which became final in August.
The thing is that, flexibility, however, did not turn out to fix the issues facing eligible health providers, including those wishing to demonstrate meaningful use using these latest options as a result of faults in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System. This resulted into reopening the MU hardship exception submission period recently. As Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mentioned, the reopening applied to only certain eligible healthcare providers. Even with the flexibility, it did not satisfy the concerns of various provider associations including the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME).
“For physicians, the upside is that they can essentially avoid penalties, given the fact that many of the physicians who were crying the loudest about this were ready to attest or they wanted to take advantage of new flexibilities in order to attest but the CMS website wouldn’t allow It,” CHIME Director of Public Policy Jeff Smith added. “The downside is That Physicians lose out on the incentive payment possibility.”