Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS): What is the 2015 new QRDR submission deadline? 

Don't miss this FREE half-day workshop sponsored in part by Health Technology Services, Montana Rural Health IT Network and Montana Hospital Association! Join us for a fun and informative afternoon as we explore the current trends of EHRs that include Clinical Quality Reporting, advancing Quality Improvement with your EHR, electronic Clinical Quality Improvement techniques and more. Our workshop will include interesting lectures, active discussion, EHR demonstrations and activities.

Based on recent studies and regulatory enforcement, rural practices and hospitals are still facing obstacles with securing protected health information and complying with HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. Health Technology Services, HealthInsight and HIPAA OneŽ will present both the challenges and simple solutions to maximize your return-on-investment in HIPAA Security and Privacy Risk Analysis.

Join us to learn the hospital and eligible professional quality reporting requirements for the meaningful use program as well as inpatient and outpatient quality reporting in 2016.

CMS extended the attestation deadline for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs to March 11, 2016 at 11:59 pm ET, from the original deadline of February 29. 

Eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals (EHs) and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive program can attest through the CMS Registration and Attestation System. Providers participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program should refer to their respective states for attestation information and deadlines. Certain Medicaid eligible professionals may use the Registration and Attestation System as an alternate attestation method to avoid the Medicare payment adjustment (80 FR 62900 through 62901).

The 2015 reporting Hardship application deadline has been extended to July 1, 2016 for those eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals (EHs) and critical access hospitals (CAHs) that are unable to attest for Meaningful Use in 2015 and want to apply for an exception from the Medicare Electronic Health Records Incentive Program 2017 payment adjustment.  

 

This new, streamlined application process is the result of the Patient Access and Medicare Protection Act (PAMPA), which established that the Secretary may consider hardship exceptions for "categories" of EPs, EHs and CAHs that were identified on the CMS website as of December 15, 2015.  Prior to this law, CMS was required to review all applications on a "case-by-case" basis.

 

On February 25, 2016, four days before the active engagement deadline, CMS released a new FAQ that allows EPs to use alternate exclusions for 2016 reporting as well.  See CMS FAQ 14401.

the CMS FAQ 14401.
 

Our interpretation of CMS's new FAQ is that if you planned to only connect to an immunization registry to meet the Modified Stage 2 Public Health Reporting objective, EPs can do so by claiming alternate exclusions for syndromic surveillance and specialty registry reporting.

Check out our new 2016 HTS Services designed to help you stay current with changing regulations for MU, MACRA, PQRS and so much more.

Contact HTS for assistance with all your MU requirements.