Important Deadlines Approaching for EHR Incentive Program

 

July 1 marks the deadline for two important items related to the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program.

 
First, TODAY is the last day that first time participants can begin their 90-day reporting period of meaningful use (MU) in order to avoid the Medicare payment adjustment AND to qualify for up to $24,000 in incentive dollars over the next 2.25 years. Providers who first begin participation in 2014 must:

  • Register to participate in the EHR Incentive Program
  • Begin your 90-day reporting period to demonstrate MU, no later than July 1, 2014
  • Demonstrate Stage 1 of meaningful use
  • Meet 2014 EHR certification criteria
  • Submit attestation by October 1, 2014 in order to avoid Medicare payment adjustment that will begin on Jan. 1, 2015
    • Note: October 1 is the attestation deadline for eligible professionals in their first year of participation to avoid the payment adjustment. However, eligible professionals who miss this deadline can still demonstrate meaningful use during the last 90-day reporting period of the year (October - December 2014) and earn an incentive payment for 2014.

 
Second, if you are a Medicare provider who was unable to successfully demonstrate MU for 2013 due to circumstances beyond your control, July 1, 2014 is the deadline to submit a hardship exception application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to avoid the upcoming Medicare payment adjustment for the 2013 reporting year. Use CMS' new interactive tool to help determine if you will avoid upcoming 2015 and 2016 Medicare EHR Incentive Program payment adjustments by demonstrating MU, or if you should apply for a hardship exception. Applications are available on the CMS' EHR website for: Eligible professionals and Eligible professionals submitting multiple National Provider Identifiers (NPIs).
 
For details on participating in the EHR Incentive Program, please visit www.acatoday.org/EHR or contact ACA's Government Relations Department at [email protected].

 

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