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 the Stimulus Center 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: When will Practice Fusion be certified?
- Answer: Practice Fusion is certified as an EHR module and guarantees that our EHR will be certified as a complete EHR in the summer and available to all physicians who want to qualify for 2011 HITECH payments. You can view our guarantee at practicefusion.com/pages/ehr-certification-guarantee.html. 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. Because Practice Fusion is web-based, the certified version of our EHR will be available immediately to all users with no need for upgrades or new installations – at no cost to you.
Q: Where is Practice Fusion listed as a certified EHR?
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 is the difference between an ONC Certified "Complete EHR" and "Modular EHR"?
- Answer: An ONC Certified Complete EHR is one that meets all criteria and can be used to achieve all Meaningful Use criteria as a single product. An ONC Certified Modular EHR has completed a portion of the Meaningful Use criteria. EHR systems may achieve Modular Certification either in order to work in combination with other systems for Meaningful Use or as a first step toward Complete Certification. Practice Fusion guarantees that our EHR will be certified as a Complete EHR and available to all physicians who want to qualify for 2011 HITECH payments. You can view our EHR certification guarantee.
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: What criteria are you currently certified for and what criteria remain?
- Answer: We are currently certified for several criteria, and are actively working on Complete Certification so that we will be a single source solution for our community. Visit Practice Fusion Certification to see our current status and our Meaningful Use guarantee.
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.
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