Meaningful Use

The Meaningful Use of EHR

In 2011, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs to encourage Eligible Professionals (EPs) to adopt, implement, upgrade (AIU), and demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT). This program officially ended in 2016 and was rebranded into the new performance-based incentive program from CMS called Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).

However, the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program remains unaffected by the MIPS program and stays in place until 2021. Eligible Professionals or Clinicians who are eligible for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program can still participate and attest each year in the Meaningful Use.

For Medicare Part B clinicians, the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) has rolled Meaningful Use, along with PQRS and VBM, into MIPS.

If you are a clinician that bills to both Medicare and Medicaid, you will have to satisfy the MIPS requirements to avoid any negative payment adjustments from Medicare.

Medicaid EHR Incentive Program

The last year that eligible professionals could start participation in Medicaid EHR incentive program and begin receiving payments was 2016.

In the year 2019, eligible professionals (EPs) that have previously taken part in their respective state's Medicaid EHR Incentive Program will continue to participate in the program and meet the objective and measures criteria that were defined in the 2015 EHR Incentive Programs Final Rule (80 FR 62762 through 62955).

EPs can access the 2018 Modified Stage 2 program requirements here and the 2018 Stage 3 Program requirements here. The EPs may use either 2014 Edition CEHRT or 2015 Edition CEHRT with a 90-days reporting period.

If you qualify for both the Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs, you must choose which program you want to participate in. If you are only eligible for the Medicaid PI Program, you will not be subject to payment adjustments.

Medicaid EPs who also treat Medicare patients will have a payment adjustment to Medicare reimbursements starting in 2015 if they do not successfully demonstrate meaningful use.

In a recent announcement, CMS is renaming the EHR Incentive Programs to the Promoting Interoperability (PI) Programs.

Source: CMS