We knew they would be coming. We just weren’t sure how and when audits related to the CMS EHR Incentive Programs would first appear. Well, we still don’t know much about the Medicare audits, but details of the Medicaid audit process are starting to dribble out.

One of the most mis-understood Meaningful Use core measures for EPs is the objective to: “Provide clinical summaries for patients for each office visit”. The required measure threshold for this objective is that: “Clinical summaries provided to patients for more than 50 percent of all office visits within 3 business days”. EPs have the option to exclude this core measure if they “have no office visits during the EHR reporting period”.

CMS EHR Incentives: The Dark SideThe US Federal Government is spending untold billions of dollars in an effort to promote the transition of our health care system from one based on paper to one based on electronic interoperable data. This massive effort is not only necessary; it is noble and ranks with other Herculean projects [...]

I recently posted on the confusion around themeaningful use Core Measure that requires the “capability to exchange key clinical information”.At that time there was still uncertainty as to exactly what was meant by the term “electronically exchange”. Transport standards — including email — were never defined and the certification of this module by ONC-ATCBs involved [...]

No requirement for EHR to gather numerator and denominatorThere is a little known but potential Stage 1 Meaningful Use nightmare for Eligible Professionals (EPs) who are preparing for Meaningful Use attestation for the CMS EHR incentives. The attestation process requires the inputting of numerators and denominators documenting the meaningful use of each percentage based measure. [...]

Finally. We are less than two weeks away from the first Medicare EPs being able to submit online attestation in support of their application for CMS EHR incentives. In early April, the first wave of EPs will have met the requirement for ninety consecutive days of the meaningful use of Complete Certified EHR Technology. Registration [...]