This past Spring, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) again identified EHR-related fraud as a problem area. Particularly in light of the OIG’s continued focus on this issue, providers would be well-advised to work on strategies to mitigate the risk of EHR fraud.
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EHR/EMR
FDA Releases Draft Guidance on the Use of EHRs in Clinical Investigations
On Friday, on the InsideMedicalDevices blog, our colleagues posted a summary and analysis of the FDA’s draft guidance encouraging clinical investigators to make their electronic data capture systems interoperable with health care organizations’ electronic health records. To read the post, please click here.
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CMS Issues Guidance Encouraging the Use of Commercial Off-the-Shelf Technology and Software-as-a-Service for Medicaid Eligibility and Enrollment Systems
In March, CMS issued a State Medicaid Directors Letter (SMDL) about the availability of enhanced federal funding for state Medicaid programs’ eligibility and enrollment (E&E) systems. This SMDL represents CMS’s most recent effort to encourage States to use commercial “off-the-shelf” technology and “software as a service,” instead of customized electronic systems developed and built specifically for individual States.
Continue Reading CMS Issues Guidance Encouraging the Use of Commercial Off-the-Shelf Technology and Software-as-a-Service for Medicaid Eligibility and Enrollment Systems
CMS Expands Scope of Enhanced Match for Promotion of Health IT
On February 29, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a State Medicaid Directors Letter (SMDL) that expands the scope of expenditures eligible for the 90 percent federal match for activities to promote the use of a health information exchange (HIE) and the adoption of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology by Medicaid providers.
Specifically, this updated guidance permits States to claim the enhanced match for expenditures that promote coordination of care between entities eligible for EHR incentive payments and other Medicaid providers who may not necessarily qualify for such payments. This SMDL supersedes earlier guidance that did not permit the enhanced match for these activities.Continue Reading CMS Expands Scope of Enhanced Match for Promotion of Health IT
Health Care Companies Agree to “Core Commitments” to Improve Access to EHR
Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that a number of large health care companies and providers had “agreed to implement three core commitments” to improve access to electronic health records (EHR). HHS touted the commitments as a significant step toward increased EHR interoperability.
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New York’s Electronic Prescription Requirement
On March 27, 2016, New York became the first State to require electronic prescribing for both controlled and non-controlled substances and to provide for civil and criminal penalties for doctors failing to comply. Electronic prescribing means the patient no longer receives a paper prescription; rather, he or she chooses a…
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CMS Extends Meaningful Use Attestation Deadline
On February 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extended the attestation deadline for health-care providers in the Electronic Health Records (EHR) Meaningful Use program. Originally, providers were required to attest that they met the requirements of the Meaningful Use Program by next Monday, February 29, 2016. That…
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CMS Acting Administrator Prioritizes Simplicity and Interoperability In Implementing MACRA
This week, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt set forth guiding principles that CMS will consider in crafting regulations implementing the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). In January, Administrator Slavitt announced the end of the Electronic Health Records (EHR) Meaningful Use Program, which would instead be replaced by a “new regime culminating with the MACRA implementation.”
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CMS Launches Streamlined Application for Meaningful Use Hardship Exceptions
On January 22, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced the launch of a new, streamlined application process for providers and hospitals seeking a hardship exception from financial penalties for failing to meet meaningful use electronic health record requirements. According to CMS, “[t]he streamlined hardship applications reduce the amount of information that . . . must be submit[ted] to apply for an exception.”
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CMS Administrator Announces End of EHR Meaningful Use Program
Last week, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Andy Slavitt announced that the Electronic Health Records (EHR) Meaningful Use program will “effectively” end and be “replaced with something better.”
Continue Reading CMS Administrator Announces End of EHR Meaningful Use Program