Meaningful Use
What You Need to Know to Get Started
It's time to get started on selecting your Meaningful Use partner-one that has the expertise and will be with you for every stage of Meaningful Use. CompuGroup Medical is that partner! Our Meaningful Use experts will be happy to answer any questions about getting started and help you learn the specifics of Meaningful Use. In addition, our three Meaningful Use certified EHRs can play a role in helping you obtain federal incentives while helping your practice improve care and reduce costs. Just contact us here.
Basics
In order to participate in the EHR Incentive Program, a physician must, on a basic level:
- Qualify as an Eligible Professional under the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program;
- Adopt an ONC-ATCB or "Meaningful Use" certified EHR; and
- Use that EHR "meaningfully" as defined by CMS.
In order to qualify to receive Meaningful Use incentive payments, a provider MUST participate in either the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. Providers can only participate in one program, although they will have a one-time option to switch programs. Providers will need to register for the program in which they wish to participate.
In order to qualify as an Eligible Professional (EP) under Medicare, providers must be doctors of medicine or osteopathy, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists or chiropractors. In order to qualify as an EP under Medicaid, providers must be physicians, dentists, certified nursemidwives, nurse practitioners or physician assistants (PAs) working in a FQHC or rural health clinic led by a PA.
In order to participate in the EHR Incentive Program an EP must register. You will need to register for the program in which you wish to participate. Medicare and initial Medicaid registration can be found at http://cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms. Additional registration may be required with your state's Medicaid program if you are electing to participate in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.
There are three main components of Meaningful Use, as defined by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA):
- Use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, such as e-Prescribing;
- Use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of healthcare; and
- Use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality and other measures.
Medicare/Medicaid
A provider cannot earn incentive payments from both Medicaid and Medicare programs at the same time. An EP may switch programs once and only once; EPs in a group practice can mix and match.