Solutions to Critical Requirements



Meaningful Use Assurance

MCAG Solution for the CMS Electronic Health Records (EHR) Meaningful Use Incentive Programs



MCAG has been monitoring CMS efforts to begin distributing $19 billion in federal funds to Eligible Professionals and Hospitals from the EHR Incentive Programs who are meaningful users of certified EHR technology.  The Medicare incentive program is available nationwide and the Medicaid program is currently available in over a dozen states. Based on their efforts and our client and partner feedback MCAG is offering a dedicated solution to ease the process.

 

MCAG’s Meaningful Use Assurance Service ensures that our eligible clients receive the maximum incentive payments available through these programs.  As part of this solution, MCAG tracks your progress for meeting Meaningful Use (MU) requirements and identifies problem areas to ensure that all eligible participants are on track to meet all MU requirements.  Once our clients have met the requirements, MCAG will complete the attestation to CMS on their behalf. 

 

Our clients will undoubtedly commit significant resources towards meeting the requirements of Meaningful Use.  Do not let those resources go to waste.  The deadline to apply for funds and receive the maximum incentive payments will arrive quickly and time is short.  Now is the time to partner with MCAG to ensure that your organization receives your piece of the $19 billion of federal funds made available through these incentive programs.

 

What does Meaningful Use really mean?

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 specifies three main components of Meaningful Use:

  1. The use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, such as e-prescribing.
  2. The use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of health care.
  3. The use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality and other measures.

 

Simply put, "meaningful use" means providers need to show they're using certified EHR technology in ways that can be measured significantly in quality and in quantity.

 

What are the requirements?

Meaningful use includes both a core set and a menu set of objectives that are specific to eligible professionals or eligible hospitals and CAHs.

  • For eligible professionals, there are a total of 25 meaningful use objectives.  To qualify for an incentive payment, 20 of these 25 objectives must be met.
    • There are 15 required core objectives.
    • The remaining 5 objectives may be chosen from the list of 10 menu set objectives.
  • For eligible hospitals and CAHs, there are a total of 24 meaningful use objectives. To qualify for an incentive payment, 19 of these 24 objectives must be met.
    • There are 14 required core objectives.
    • The remaining 5 objectives may be chosen from the list of 10 menu set objectives.

 

Who is eligible?

Eligible Professionals (EPs) under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program include:

  • Doctor of medicine or osteopathy
  • Doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine
  • Doctor of podiatry
  • Doctor of optometry
  • Chiropractor  

 

Eligible Professionals under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program include:

  • Physicians (primarily doctors of medicine and doctors of osteopathy)
  • Nurse practitioner
  • Certified nurse-midwife
  • Dentist
  • Physician assistant who furnishes services in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Clinic that is led by a physician assistant.

 

To qualify for an incentive payment under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, an eligible professional must meet one of the following criteria:

Have a minimum 30% Medicaid patient volume*

Have a minimum 20% Medicaid patient volume, and is a pediatrician*

 

Practice predominantly in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Center and have a minimum 30% patient volume attributable to needy individuals *

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) patients do not count toward the Medicaid patient volume criteria.  

 

Eligible Hospitals

Medicare:

  • "Subsection (d) hospitals" in the 50 states or DC that are paid under the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS)
  • Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs)
  • Medicare Advantage (MA-Affiliated) Hospitals  

 

Medicaid:

  • Acute care hospitals (including CAHs and cancer hospitals) with at least 10% Medicaid patient volume
  • Children's hospitals (no Medicaid patient volume requirements)  

 

NOTE: Some hospitals may receive incentive payments from both Medicare and Medicaid if they meet all eligibility criteria.  

 

Important Payment Dates

  • May 2011 – EHR Incentive Payments began.
  • February 29, 2012 – Last day for eligible professionals to register and attest to receive an Incentive Payment for calendar year (CY) 2011.
  • October 3, 2012 – Last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90-day reporting period for calendar year 2012 for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.
  • December 31, 2012 – Reporting year ends for eligible professionals.
  • February 28, 2013 – Last day for eligible professionals to register and attest to receive an Incentive Payment for calendar year (CY) 2012.