CMS Develops New EHR Tool For Doctors
A comprehensive tool to help eligible professionals and physicians work their way through each phase of the Medicare Electronic Health-Record Incentive Program has been developed by CMS.
The new tool is called, “An Introduction to the Medicare EHR Incentive Program for Eligible Professionals”, which includes sections on program basics, eligibility and registration. Stage 1 Meaningful-Use Criteria is also discussed, and helps practitioners choose which optional measures they will use for the attestation phase of the program.
In an effort to induce more practitioners to attest this year, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the CMS would change the deadline allowing one additional year for compliance with Stage 2 meaningful-use criteria. Until this announcement, physicians and other eligible professionals had until December 31, 2011, to complete 90 consecutive days of meaningful use of a certified EHR, and until February 28, 2012, to report their data and attest that they have met the criteria to be deemed meaningful users in the Medicare portion of the program.
Sebelius also announced that HHS would be looking for those professionals who may have registered EHR incentive payment program, but have not yet attested as meaningful users and using additional outreach, education and training programs to streamline EHR adoption.