Articles and Blogs

Comments to the Health Information Technology: Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology, 2014 Edition; Revisions to the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology  Proposed Regulations are due in two weeks. If you wish to make comments to these proposed regulations, they must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m.... READ MORE

CMS has released its statistics for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Program for activity from January 2011 through February 2012.  Highlights of the report are: Over 211,500 eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) have registered for the Medicare and/or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs since January 2011; Over 20,000... READ MORE

Later today (March 29 from 3 – 4 pm EDT), CMS will hold a national provider call to discuss EHR incentive program basics to eligible professionals. Registration for the call closes today at 12 pm. To register, go here. Should you have any questions, please contact Alisa Kuehn at 317.977.1475 or akuehn@wp.hallrender.com. READ MORE

CMS is hosting a National Provider Call on Monday, March 12, from 12:30 – 2:00 pm ET for eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs), which will include an overview of the proposed rule for Stage 2 criteria for Meaningful Use under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. Registration Information:... READ MORE

The Health Information Technology: Standards, Implementation Specifications, and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Record Technology, 2014 Edition; Revisions to the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology  Proposed Regulations were published in their official version in today’s Federal Register.  Although these proposed regulations have been available in the unpublished format, the publication in the Federal... READ MORE

The Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program—Stage 2 Proposed Regulations were published in their official version in today’s Federal Register.  Although these proposed regulations have been available in the unpublished format, the publication in the Federal Register begins the time period for submitting comments to the proposed regulations.  All comments to... READ MORE

CMS’s most recent monthly report for the EHR Incentive Program shows rapid growth in the number of Eligible Hospitals and Eligible Providers registered for the program and receiving payments under the programs.  In December, Medicare payment tripled with $89 million in payments to Eligible Professionals and $374 million in payments to Eligible Hospitals and CAHs.   Total Medicare... READ MORE

Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, announced on November 30, 2011 that Eligible Providers and Eligible Hospitals (“Recipients”) meeting the Stage 1 meaningful use criteria for the Medicare/Medicaid Electronic Health Records Incentive (“EHR Incentives”) established under the HITECH Act will not be required to meet the Stage 2 criteria until 2014.   The meaningful use... READ MORE

While the final ACO Rules (“Final Rules”) have done away with the importance of participaitng phyisicians being meaningful users of an EHR under the HITECH EHR Incentive Program (“Meaningful Users”), the importance of meaningful use by participating primary care providers has not gone away. CMS sought to align an ACO’s use of Electronic Health Records (“EHR”) with... READ MORE