Colorado Hospitals Begin Meaningful Use Stage 2 Data Collection
Date: October 16th, 2013Category: CORHIO e-NewsletterTopics: Meaningful Use, Colorado Hospitals & Health SystemsOctober 1st marked the first day that hospitals participating in the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs could start tracking data they need to attest to Stage 2 of Meaningful Use.
Eligible hospitals can complete their attestation to Stage 2 as early as January 2014, which means the early adopters are collecting data now to be ready. Hospitals need 90 days of data to attest in January.
In the U.S., more than 5,000 eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals can participate in the federally funded incentive programs and receive payments for Meaningful Use of an electronic health record (EHR) system. Most hospitals are dually eligible to receive incentive payments from both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Here in Colorado, the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program has made 52 incentive payments to hospitals, totaling more than $33 million. And for the Medicare program, five payments to hospitals totaling more than $6 million have been made.
Important Fiscal Year 2014 Milestones
Since hospitals run on the Federal fiscal year calendar, October 1, 2013 marked the start of Stage 2 of Meaningful Use for hospitals that have completed their first two years of Stage 1. So those hospitals who want their incentive payment as quickly as possible in 2014 are collecting data now. If hospitals have waited to join the program and are just beginning their Meaningful Use participation, incentive payments will be lower starting in 2014.
In 2014, hospitals can report on 90 days of Meaningful Use, which was changed from one year to allow more time for upgrades to 2014 certified EHR technology.
Payment Adjustments for Non-Participation
There are no payment adjustments (or penalties) for non-participation in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. However, hospitals eligible for the Medicare program that choose not to participate will incur payment adjustments beginning October 1, 2014, which is the start of the Federal fiscal year 2015. For details on the specific adjustments, read the payment adjustment tipsheet from CMS.
CORHIO Can Help Hospitals Reach Meaningful Use
Regardless of whether they are in the Medicare or Medicaid EHR incentive programs (or both), to attest to Stage 2 Meaningful Use, hospitals must report on 16 required core objectives, 3 of 6 menu set objectives, and 16 clinical quality measures. Most of these objectives can be met using the hospital’s EHR, but CORHIO can assist with a few of the Meaningful Use Stage 2 objectives, including:
- Transitions of care/referrals
- Public health reporting, such as labs, immunizations, syndromic surveillance, and cancer registry
- Electronic lab results sent to ambulatory providers
- Providing patients with access to their health information via a patient portal
To learn more about how CORHIO can help your hospital meet Meaningful Use, please contact your Outreach Manager or email us at info@corhio.org. For help with your hospital’s attestation in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, please see our web page dedicated to Eligible Hospitals or email MedicaidEHR@corhio.org.