EMR Certification Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I qualify for Meaningful Use incentives?
- Answer: There are a few basic steps for the $44,000 EHR incentive program. To start, you have to be an eligible provider who bills CMS. Next, you need to use a certified EHR system and meet 20 criteria for Meaningful Use. For 2011, you will to attest to CMS that you met the Meaningful Use criteria for 90 consecutive days and your incentives will be paid with your reimbursements. Learn more in our Stimulus Center.
Q: How do I participate in the incentive program?
- Answer: Meaningful Use is by attestation – simply visit www.cms.gov/EHRIncentiveprograms to register online. Practice Fusion has created a handy step-by-step guide to help you complete your registration. Although it can be complex to navigate, the CMS site is the most comprehensive resource for information regarding the incentive program.
Q: How will Practice Fusion help providers qualify for incentives in 2011?
- Answer: Providers only need to use a certified EHR for a single consecutive 90 day period in 2011 to fully qualify for the first year stimulus. Our web-based EHR will include custom tracking and reporting tools to simplify the attestation process. Visit www.practicefusion.com/stimulus to learn more about qualifying for EHR incentives.
Q: What does ONC certification and Meaningful Use really mean, anyway?
- Answer: ONC Certification of an EMR product simply means that a physician using such a system, and using it in a "meaningful" way, is eligible for EHR stimulus money from CMS.
- ONC Certification is something that an EMR vendor (like Practice Fusion) pursues and obtains.
- Meaningful Use is something that an individual physician demonstrates in order to qualify for EMR incentives. It is the act of satisfying government requirements by performing certain actions with an EMR. For the first year of eligibility for stimulus funds (2011), physicians will report their Meaningful Use by attestation – submitting declarations of compliance (subject to audit) similar to PQRI reporting. Subsequent years will expect that EMR technologies will be able to report Meaningful Use directly to either Medicare or the state's local Medicaid program.
Q: Is Practice Fusion certified?
- Answer: Yes! Practice Fusion is certified as a Complete EHR. You can use our free EHR system to qualify for $44,000 in Meaningful Use incentives. Learn more about our certification online here.
Q: Where is Practice Fusion listed as a certified EHR?
- Answer: Practice Fusion is listed ONC's Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) and can be found here: http://onc-chpl.force.com/ehrcert/EHRProductSearch?setting=Ambulatory.
Q: Which certifying body are you using for achieve ONC Certification?
- Answer: Drummond Group Inc.
Q: What is the difference between CCHIT and Drummond certification?
- Answer: There is no difference. Both CCHIT and Drummond are Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ATCB) for the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and use the same certification criteria defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. EHR systems that have been certified by either agency are reviewed by the ONC and posted on the Certified HIT Product List.
Q: What are the final Meaningful Use criteria?
- Answer: Visit the Practice Fusion Stimulus Center to get both a high level and detailed view of the final Meaningful Use criteria.
Q: Since Meaningful Use is implemented by CMS, does Meaningful Use pertain to only the CMS-covered patients (Medicare/Medicaid), or to the whole practice?
- Answer: Data and criteria for Meaningful Use objectives include all patients in the practice, regardless of payer.
Q: What is the difference between the Payment Year and the EHR Reporting Period?
- Answer: The payment year is defined as the calendar year beginning with 2011 and the EHR Reporting Period is defined as a 90-day consecutive period during the first payment year. This means that qualified users have all of 2011 to demonstrate Meaningful Use over the course of a 90-day consecutive period to receive Medicaid/Medicare payments.