More flexibility in the final quarter of 2014 provides a temporary breather before 2015 requirements kick in January 1st.
If your practice is still working to fully implement a 2014 Certified EHR, you’re not alone. Due to delays in the overall availability of 2014 Certified systems, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services just granted qualified practices more flexibility for Meaningful Use reporting.
The fix is only temporary, however. Beginning in 2015, CMS still requires all eligible providers to use 2014 certified EHR technology (CEHRT) for the entire reporting period to avoid penalties and receive full incentive payments.
Starting October 1st, providers attesting for Meaningful Use in 2014 now have multiple ways to get there. Practices can use 2011 Certified, 2014 Certified, or a combination of EHRs as shown here:
“It’s certainly much-needed flexibility,” Robert Tennant, Medical Group Management Association Senior Policy Advisor, told CareCloud. “But that alone will not solve the problems moving to Stage 2. We were hoping they would take this opportunity to modify other aspects [of Meaningful Use reporting].” Extension of the physician hardship exemption deadline; easing of electronic patient engagement requirements; and replacing the 365 days of mandated reporting in 2015 with a 90-day window were among requests that MGMA made to CMS prior to issuance of this final rule.
Even though more than 400,000 eligible physicians received payments for Stage 1, fewer than 2,000 have been successful to date using 2014 Certified technology, Tennant adds. “This rule will not significantly change the percentage of eligible physicians who can attest using the 2014 certified technology.”
The CMS’ final rule also extends the timeline for Stage 2 Meaningful Use reporting to 2016 for certain providers and pushes the first Stage 3 deadline to 2017.
Take advantage of this temporary reprieve to ensure your EHR provider is 2014 Meaningful Use Certified before January 1, 2015. Practices using CareCloud Charts EHR solution are already set for a full year of Meaningful Use reporting in 2015.
Find out how CareCloud’s web-based EHR customized charting speeds up clinical documentation and makes Meaningful Use reporting easy.
Do you know what you need when setting up a new medical practice?