How EHR replacement might impact Meaningful Use achievement

According to Black Book Rankings Survey 2013, nearly 30% of all new Electronic Health Records (EHRs) purchases are done to replace old EHRs. This number is expected to go up by year end as the CMS requirements for achieving of Meaningful Use Stage 2 are changing in 2014. At this point in time, nearly 92% of practices and healthcare centers report their current EHR system as boring and clunky. This is the time where Meaningful Use Stage 2 certified EHR vendors are going to help physicians and healthcare practices meet new requirements set by the government.

But if a practice has been using one EHR system throughout a year, how will changing the EHR vendor affect its ability to achieve Meaningful Use and qualify for incentive payments? Let’s try to analyze this.

For Further Read Visit: http://blog.curemd.com/how-ehr-replacement-might-impact-meaningful-use-achievement/

MEANINGFUL USE DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: CureMD interviews William O’Byrne of NJ-HITEC

As the deadline for “Meaningful Use” approaches, doctors are rushing to adopt the Program to avail government incentives. However, as we speak to doctors, we realize that many of them are confused about the Program, which makes it difficult for them to earn maximum incentives. The confusion surrounds the requirements, incentives, penalties, exemptions and deadlines of the program.

In an effort to clear up the problems, the Meaningful Use Team at CureMD conducted a telephonic interview with an industry expert, William J. O’Byrne, Executive Director of the New Jersey Health Information Technology Extension Center (NJ-HITEC), joined by the organization’s Meaningful Use Specialist, Arixmar Velez.

For Further Read Visit:  http://blog.curemd.com/meaningful-use-deadline-exclusive-curemd-interviews-william-obyrne-of-nj-hitech/

How to avoid Meaningful Use penalty and avail hardship exceptions?

Highlights

• Avoid Meaningful Use penalty; start Meaningful Use program by July 1, 2014
• Deadline to attest for 90-day reporting period ends on October 1, 2014
• Any attestation that follows October 2014 will have a reporting period of 1 year rather than 90 days
• CMS allows for hardship exceptions until July 1, 2015
• Only selected providers eligible for hardship exceptions

While the government has paid out more than $22 billion in Meaningful Use incentives, the fact of the matter is, a lot of providers are still struggling to meet the criteria worse, quite a few of the Electronic Health Record set out by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for Stage1 and 2. To make matters technology available these days is not helping providers take advantage of the government incentive program.

For further read visit:  http://blog.curemd.com/how-to-avoid-meaningful-use-penalty-and-avail-hardship-exceptions/