Health Technology Services NEWSLETTER

Issue 30 - March 2015 
Our Newsletter Has a New Look!
  
We want to give you the most important and timely information you need to make your health technology decisions
Quick Links

Provider/Clinic Corner

 

Are you ready to start Meaningful Use Stage 2? 

 

Are proposed MU changes going to affect you?

 

Is your PQRS reporting on track?

 

Get the latest information on these important topics at our new Provider/Clinic Corner.

Hospital Corner

  

Are proposed MU changes going to affect you?

 

Is your PQRS reporting on track?

 

Are you having Patient Portal challenges?

 

Get the latest information on these important topics at our new Hospital Corner.

Come See Us!
  
March 5, 2015
Visit Deb Anderson, HTS Consultant, at the MT HIMSS Board Meeting and Mixer in Billings, MT
 
March 11-13, 2015
Visit Patty Kosednar, HTS Executive Director, at our MPQH/HTS booth at the MHA Health Summit in Bozeman, MT
 
March 20-22, 2015
Visit Mary Erickson, HTS Consultant, at our MPQH/HTS booth at the Rural Medicine Hackathon in Missoula, MT
    
See Upcoming Events for details.

Planning An Upcoming Event?

 

HTS has HIT/CMS Program subject matter experts who can present current and relevant information on many HIT/Quality Reporting topics.  

 

Contact Patty Kosednar for details  

Join Our List

HTS Services

 

Let Heath Technology Services assist you with all your Health Information Technology needs.

 

New 2015 Meaningful Use - Tiered Service Offerings 

 

New 2015 Security Risk Analysis - Tiered Service Offerings

 

New PQRS Reporting Assistance - Tiered Service Offerings

 
New MU/PQRS/ICD-
10 Combined Services
- Tiered Service Offerings


HIT Consulting & Project Management Service Offerings 

 

Contact Patty Kosednar for more info.

 

See details for all services on our website 

YOUR TRUSTED ADVISOR FOR KEEPING CURRENT WITH HEALTH TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION 
HTS Top 5-What You Need to Know

Right Now!  

 Click on the links for more information...

 

Eligible Professionals now have until March 20, 2015 to attest to MU for 2014.  Will I make it?

 

PQRS submission period for 2014 is from January 1, 2015 to the new March 20, 2015 deadline (previously February 28).  What should I do?

 

Did you know there is a new WY Department of Health submission link to register intent to participate in Public Health Measures? 

 

Is Meaningful Use the same for critical access hospitals as it is for eligible hospitals?

 

Eligible Provider 2014 MU attestation dates for the Medicaid program - what are they?

 Don't Wait - Register for our FREE

2015 PQRS Overview Webinar!

Register NOW for our next webinar! 

 

 

 

 

Thursday

April 9, 2015

11-12 pm MDT 

2015 PQRS Overview & How to Begin! 

 

Topics include -

 

* How to determine who is eligible

* Reporting requirements, options and deadlines

* Changes and deadlines for 2015 PQRS


 

 

 

register

 

Subscriber Webinars Soon to be Scheduled

 

Meaningful Use Stage 1 Open Forum
Meaningful Use Stage 2 Open Forum
HIPAA Security Education - For Your Staff
Quality Reporting Open Forum

 

Learn how to become an HTS Subscriber and enjoy the benefits! 

 

Did You Miss our Latest Webinars on Telehealth Billing and  HIPAA Privacy and Security?

 

Is your facility interested in Telehealth but concerned about billing?  On February 26, Amy Hayes taught us how easy it is to bill for telehealth services and receive reimbursement in Wyoming  Don't wait - access the Telehealth Billing in Wyoming presentation.

  
Do you know the difference between HIPAA Privacy and HIPAA Security?  On February 18, Susan Clarke, HTS Director of Operations, made it easy for us to understand the difference and importance of these two primary HIPAA rules in Part 1 of this two-part series.  Access the Fundamentals of HIPAA Privacy and Security - Part 1 presentation.
  
Part 2 of Fundamentals of Privacy and Security was held on March 4.  Be sure to access the Fundamentals of HIPAA Privacy and Security - Part 2 presentation.  
  
Do you have a webinar topic you would like us to present?  Email your hot topic to Patty KosednarSee our upcoming webinars.

HTS Top 5-What You Need to Know

Right Now!    

ToponeEligible professionals now have until March 20, 2015 to attest to MU for 2014.  Will I make it?

  

Eligible professionals now have until 11:59 pm ET on March 20, 2015, to attest to meaningful use for the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program 2014 reporting year.

 

CMS extended the deadline to allow providers extra time to submit their meaningful use data. CMS continues to urge providers to begin attesting for 2014 as soon as they can.

This extension also allows eligible professionals, who have not already used their one switch, to switch programs (from Medicare to Medicaid, or vice versa) for the 2014 payment year until 11:59 pm ET on March 20, 2015. After that time, eligible professionals will no longer be able to switch programs.

 

Medicare eligible professionals must attest to meaningful use every year to receive an incentive and avoid a payment adjustment. Providers who successfully attest for the 2014 program year will:

Need Help?  Check out Health Technology Services' Meaningful Use Assistance or contact us directly.

 

ToptwoPQRS submission period for 2014 is from January 1, 2015 to the new March 20, 2015 deadline (previously February 28).  What should I do?

  

The revised submission deadline is March 20, 2015 at 8 pm ET for the following reporting methods:  
  • EHR Direct or Data Submission Vendor that is certified EHR technology (CEHRT)
  • Qualified clinical data registries (QCDRs) (using QRDA III format) reporting for PQRS, and the clinical quality measure (CQM) component of meaningful use for the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program

An Individuals Authorized Access to CMS Computer Services (IACS) account with the "PQRS Submitter Role" is required for these PQRS data submission methods.

 

There are two additional methods you can use to report for PQRS.  The reporting deadlines remain the same for each method.   

  • Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) Web Interface -   March 20, 2015
  • Registry - March 31, 2015
Staff at Health Technology Services and Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Foundation (QIO-QIN) is available for assistance with navigating this program. Review how to get started with PQRS reporting on our website.  Need more help?  Check out HTS PQRS Services or contact HTS directly.  

 

Top3Did you know there is a new WY Department of Health submission link to register intent to participate in Public Health Measures?

 

Wyoming Department of Health has provided a submission link on their website to register your intent to generate intent for Electronic Submission to Public Health to satisfy the documentation requirement in the event of a MU audit. Registration will generate an acknowledgement email for your records as well as a dated submission for Wyoming. In the event of an audit, the receipt email should satisfy the documentation requirement. In the event more information is needed at the time, please notify the Wyoming Department of Health.

 

If you are an eligible professional participating in the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program and are planning to meet one of the Stage 2 public health measures, the deadline to register your intent to initiate ongoing submission with your public health agency (PHA), program, or other body to whom the information will be submitted is within 60 days of the start of your EHR reporting period. For 2015, this deadline for eligible professionals was March 1, 2015, unless you are MU Year 1 reporting, or you change to a 90-day reporting period for MU Year 2 and on.

 

Eligible professionals that need to register their intent for a public health objective, but fail to register their intent by this deadline will not meet the measure.

 

Satisfying Public Health Measure Requirements
As a reminder a public health measure can be satisfied by meeting any one of the following criteria:

  • Ongoing submission was already achieved for an EHR reporting period in a prior year and continues throughout the current EHR reporting period.
  • Registration with the PHA or other body to whom the information is being submitted of intent to initiate ongoing submission was made by the deadline (within 60 days of the start of the EHR reporting period) and ongoing submission was achieved.
  • Registration of intent to initiate ongoing submission was made by the deadline and the EP or hospital is still engaged in testing and validation of ongoing electronic submission.
  • Registration of intent to initiate ongoing submission was made by the deadline and the EP or hospital is awaiting invitation to begin testing and validation.

For more information on the public health objectives, see

Stage 2 Eligible Professional Specification Sheets.

 

Contact HTS for more information.

 

Topfour2Is Meaningful Use the same for critical access hospitals as it is for eligible hospitals?

 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provides for incentive payments beginning in federal fiscal year 2011 for eligible hospitals (including eligible small, rural hospitals) and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) that adopt a certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) system and are meaningful users of certified EHR technology. Eligible rural hospitals and CAHs that adopt a certified EHR system and achieve meaningful use, can begin receiving EHR incentives in any year from FY 2011 through FY 2015.

 

For the purposes of the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, CAHs are treated exactly the same as other eligible hospitals. However, Congress amended the Recovery Act to include special provisions for CAHs under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. CAHs may only receive Medicare EHR incentive payments through FY 2015. And, in no case shall a CAH receive Medicare EHR incentive payments for more than four years. In contrast, eligible small, rural hospitals can continue to receive Medicare EHR incentive payments through FY 2016.

 

Need help with MU - check out HTS MU Services.

 
Topfive2Eligible Provider 2014 MU attestation dates for the Medicaid program - what are they?
 
Medicaid Wyoming SLR is accepting 2014 attestations for Eligible Professionals for the Flex rule starting March 1, 2015. 
 
Medicaid SLR Eligible Professional deadline for 2014 meaningful use attestation, for both Montana and Wyoming, is March 31, 2015.
  
Note:  Montana Medicaid State Level registry will only accept a 90-day EHR Measure reporting period for first time provider attestation.  The Montana SLR system will not accept more than 90 days.  If you are a provider attesting to MU Year 2 or more, you will choose a quarter time frame.
  
Need help with MU - check out HTS MU Services or contact us.
       HTS Contact Information      
Health Technology Services is a division of Mountain-Pacific Quality Health Foundation, QIN-QIO for Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and Wyoming.  Together we can help you use technology to deliver the quality care your patients deserve!
 
Contact HTS at (406) 457-5897
Thank-You!                   

 

Patty Kosednar

Executive Director

Health Technology Services, MT/WY Regional Extension Center

...a division of Mountain-Pacific Quality Health

(406) 461-4410