AMA: New to EHR meaningful use? Begin by July 1 to avoid penalties

Friday, May 30, 2014 10:00 AM
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First-time participants in the Medicare and Medicaid meaningful use electronic health records (EHR) program should begin the 90-day reporting period no later than July 1 to avoid payment penalties in 2015.

Physicians who attest to meaningful use for the first time by Oct. 1 are eligible for an incentive payment and can avoid payment penalties for the following year. Physicians who miss the Oct. 1 attestation deadline but still attest to meaningful use in 2014 are eligible for an incentive payment, but will be subject to a 1 percent payment adjustment in 2015.

Those who begin the meaningful use program after 2014 are not eligible for any incentive payments. Starting in 2014 all physicians, no matter when they began the meaningful use program, must use Version 2014 of certified EHR software, otherwise they face a penalty.

Physicians who begin participation in the program this year can earn up to $11,760 if they demonstrate 90 days of Stage 1 meaningful use. Successful demonstration of meaningful use each year, beginning in 2014, could earn a physician up to $23,520, according to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Click here to visit the AMA’s Medicare/Medicaid EHR incentive program webpage to learn more about meaningful use and access resources that can help you get started. Click here for additional resources from the federal CMS, including an interactive eligibility assessment tool, a Stage 1 attestation calculator and timelines.


Posted in: ASAP | Practice Evolution | Practice Redesign | Health Information Technology | Practice Management
 

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