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Practice Fusion · May 28, 2014

Starting Meaningful Use: The top 5 questions

There’s been a lot of talk about the importance of starting Meaningful Use in 2014. Here’s a rundown of the top 5 questions other providers have about Meaningful Use — and their answers.

1) Does Meaningful Use apply to me?

If you care for Medicare or Medicaid patients, you may qualify for the Meaningful Use program.

Check your eligibility.

2) How do I start Meaningful Use?

Once you know you’re eligible to participate in Meaningful Use and you’ve signed up for your EHR, you should register for the program on the CMS website. You can register until February 28th following your reporting year.

Register with CMS »

You’ll need the following information to register:

  • National Provider Identifier (NPI)
  • National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) user ID and password (the same information that’s used to log in to PECOS)
  • Practice Fusion’s 2014 Edition CMS Certification ID
  • CMS Tax Identification Number (TIN) to select where any incentive payments will go

You can update your practice’s information any time in the CMS system. For more information, check the CMS registration guide.

3) What’s the deadline to avoid penalties?

You must begin your Meaningful Use reporting period by Oct 1 to avoid a 1% penalty on your Medicare Part B reimbursements in 2015 and a 2% penalty in 2016 (the penalty increases 1% every year). Starting Meaningful Use in 2014, you can also receive up to $23,520 in incentives.

Reporting periods for first-year Medicare providers are 90 consecutive days.We recommend starting your reporting period as soon as possible: the earlier you begin, the better off you’ll be.

4) How does the 2014 Meaningful Use Dashboard work?

Practice Fusion’s Meaningful Use Dashboard allows you to track your progress on all Meaningful Use measures. No matter where you are in your reporting period, you can easily see where you stand and what actions you need to take to meet Meaningful Use.

Watch the video »
You can also learn more about the Meaningful Use Dashboard with these resources:

5) What should I do if a measure doesn’t apply to my specialty?

During attestation, you can claim an exclusion, which are CMS regulatory-specified exemptions from completing certain criteria. If you qualify for an exclusion, you do not need to demonstrate Meaningful Use for that measure and you can still receive a full incentive payment if you achieve all of the remaining requirements.

For all other questions or for more information, visit our Meaningful Use center.