The extended deadline for hospitals to submit their hardship applications for the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program is approaching. Hospitals have until September 1 to file for a hardship for the 2019 reporting period and avoid negative payment adjustments in 2021.
New telehealth encounter guidance is available for the Promoting Interoperability Programs and Quality Payment Program. There are 42 telehealth codes eligible for inclusion within the eligible professional/eligible clinician eCQMs for the 2020 performance period. For the 2021 performance period, 39 telehealth codes would be eligible, however, there are also additional eCQMs identified as not eligible for telehealth encounters.
As hospitals and providers continue to struggle in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS has announced several efforts to provide assistance under the Promoting Interoperability Programs and Quality Payment Program.
For the Quality Payment Program, CMS had previously extended the deadline for MIPS eligible clinicians to submit data and reopened the application period for MIPS eligible clinicians to file for a hardship exception for the 2019 payment year. Additionally, CMS announced that any individual MIPS eligible clinician who did not submit data or which submitted data for only one performance category for the 2019 payment year by April 30 will automatically receive a neutral payment instead of a negative payment adjustment (this “extreme and uncontrollable circumstances” policy is not available to groups/virtual groups). If a MIPS eligible clinician is able to submit data, CMS noted that the data submission would override the automatic “extreme and uncontrollable circumstances” policy and the clinician could be eligible for negative, neutral or positive payment adjustments based on the data submission.
HHS Publishes Ransomware Guidance HHS has published guidance for hospitals and other covered entities in light of recent prominent ransom attacks on hospital data. The Q&As address Security Rule safeguards which can prevent ransomware and other malware, and also assist in identifying,...
Moving Forward with Meaningful Use Stage 3 and MACRA A little over a month ago, CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt delivered some unexpected news. Now that we effectively have technology into virtually every place care is provided, we are now in the process of ending Meaningful Use...
Terms and Conditions May Apply: Consequences of Email-Provider Email Scanning This guest blog post was written by Van Zimmerman, Esq. Van is currently the Privacy and Security Officer at Jersey Health Connect, a New Jersey health information exchange network. Van has over 18 years experience in...
CMS Releases Guidance on Stage 2 Summary of Care Measure CMS release guidance yesterday that it has discontinued the NIST EHR-Randomizer effective today, July 1. Hospitals and providers were previously required to conduct a test with the NIST EHR-Randomizer as part of their demonstration of the...
8 Things to Know about the Next Evolution of Meaningful Use CMS recently released proposed changes to Stage 2 Meaningful Use as well as a proposed rule for Stage 3 which has been scheduled to begin for all participants in 2018. The comment period for the Stage 3 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking...
CMS Extends Hospital Deadline for Meaningful Use Attestation Hospitals can breathe a little easier this Thanksgiving. CMS announced on Monday that it was extending the attestation deadline for hospitals attesting to Meaningful Use in 2014. Hospitals now have until December 31, 2014 to...
CMS Releases Final Meaningful Use CEHRT Extension Rule Happy Labor Day and Back-to-School Week! September is here, which means hospitals and EPs participating in Meaningful Use are rapidly approaching deadlines for their respective 2014 reporting periods. Hospitals are in the closing stretch and...
Reminder: Public Comment Period Open for Meaningful Use NPRM Last month, CMS and ONC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) which would grant flexibility to providers participating in Meaningful Use who are having trouble implementing 2014 Editions of their CEHRT. The public comment...
CMS Announces Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for 2014 Certified EHR Technology Flexibility CMS and ONC announced yesterday a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) that would grant flexibility to hospitals and providers participating in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs...
CMS Extends Meaningful Use Hardship Extension Where Vendor Delayed with Certifying EHR Technology. [THIS POST CORRECTS EP’s DEADLINES.] CMS announced Monday that eligible hospitals and eligible professionals (“EPs”) participating in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs...
EHR Vendor Loses Meaningful Use Certification HHS announced on Thursday that two EHRs have had their Meaningful Use certification revoked. EHRMagic-Ambulatory and EHRMagic-Inpatient, which are developed by EHRMagic, Inc., were previously certified for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR...
This coming Friday, April 19th, Seton Hall Law in collaboration with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office is offering a fantastic event called: “HIPAA, HITECH & Beyond: Protecting Healthcare Data in Our Cyber World”, which promises to examine current issues, enforcement trends, and...