The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) addressed in the OPPS final rule updates to the requirements for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals to attest to meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) in the coming years.
The updates include the following:
- For all physicians and hospitals, establishing the EHR reporting period in 2016 and in 2017 as any continuous 90-day period within the calendar year;
- Eliminating the clinical decision support and computerized provider order entry reporting objectives and measures for hospitals attesting to meaningful use under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program in 2017 and future years; and,
- Reducing the thresholds for a variety of measures in modified Stage 2 and Stage 3 for hospitals attesting to meaningful use under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program in 2017 and 2018. Measures that have reduced thresholds include those related to patient engagement with the EHR, health information exchange and public health reporting.
Access the final rule here.
