Dr. Robert Rowley, Practice Fusion’s Chief Medical Officer, is holding a free Meaningful Use webinar on March 24th. Registration for the event has nearly reached capacity, but interested parties can access the registration link here.
Part of the webinar registration process asked participants to list their most pressing Meaningful Use questions. The majority of these questions will be answered during the webinar, but a handful showed up repeatedly and they are outside the scope of Thursday’s session.
Below are responses to these common Meaningful Use questions.
Will Practice Fusion meet Meaningful Use criteria?
Practice Fusion is currently modularly certified as an electronic health record. We achieved this certification in October 2010. We guarantee that we will be certified as a complete EHR by summer of 2011. This means that providers using only Practice Fusion EHR will have more than sufficient time to achieve 90 days of Meaningful Use before the end of 2011 and be eligible to receive EHR incentive benefits.
Who certifies EHR systems for Meaningful Use? What certification is required?
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has authorized a number of bodies to certify EHR systems for Meaningful Use. Practice Fusion was certified by the Drummond Group. In order to qualify for Meaningful Use EHR incentives, providers must use an ONC certified EHR. No other certifications (such as non-ONC CCHIT certifications) are acceptable.
Do providers have to purchase an EHR system or show intent to purchase in order to qualify for Meaningful Use incentives?
To qualify for Medicare incentives, providers must purchase and meaningfully use a certified EHR for 90 days in 2011. Providers may qualify for Medicaid incentives prior to purchasing an EHR system, but this is different for each state.
How do I know if I am eligible for EHR Incentives?
Providers can check their eligibility status by visiting the CMS eligibility tool.
Do all patients need to be in the EHR to achieve Meaningful Use?
All patients should be in the EHR system with full demographics filled out, but paper medical records do not need to be transcribed to the EHR to qualify for incentives.
How do I inform Medicare that I am fulfilling Meaningful Use criteria?
In 2011, physicians will inform Medicare that they fulfilled Meaningful Use criteria through attestation given through the CMS website. In 2012, their EHR will directly report all information to CMS directly.
When will providers receive incentive payments?
Providers can expect to receive Medicare EHR incentive payments after attesting to 90 days of Meaningful Use of Practice Fusion. CMS has not released information about when checks will be sent to qualifying providers.
How do I apply for government EHR incentives?
Providers should visit the CMS EHR Incentive Program registration page. This is the first step to qualify for Meaningful Use incentives. Practice Fusion created a tutorial on how to register. This can be accessed here. The registration process outlines the next step that providers should take to apply for EHR incentives.
Visit EHRBloggers.com on a regular basis to ensure that you are up to date on the latest and greatest Meaningful Use news!
Thomas McMennamin
Health Policy Manager
Practice Fusion EHR
