KHA American Recoveries and Reinvestment Act Update
January 7, 2011
1. Key dates for the Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs’ first year
2. ONC Issues Final Rule Guiding Permanent Certification Program
3. ONC Allocates More REC Funding To Aid Health IT Adoption at Hospitals
Registration for Incentive Program began January 3rd: http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/20_RegistrationandAttestation.asp
Congratulations to UK and Central Baptist who have already gotten their Medicaid Checks!
1. Key dates for the Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs’ first year
CMS announced the following key dates for the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs’ first year:
* Jan. 3, 2011 – Registration for the Medicare EHR incentive program begins.
* Jan. 3, 2011 –States that are ready may launch their incentive programs for Medicaid providers.
* January 2011 – Some state agencies begin issuing Medicaid EHR incentive payments.
* April 2011 – Attestation for the Medicare EHR incentive program begins.
* May 2011 – Issuing of Medicare EHR incentive payments expected to begin.
* July 3, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals to begin their 90-day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR incentive program for federal FY 2011.
* Sept. 30, 2011 – Federal FY 2011 payment year ends at midnight for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs).
* Oct. 3, 2011 – Last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90-day reporting period for calendar year 2011 to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR incentive program.
* Nov. 30, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals and CAHs to register and attest to receive an incentive payment for federal fiscal year 2011.
* Dec. 31, 2011 – Calendar 2011 payment year ends for eligible professionals.
To prepare for registration, interested providers should first familiarize themselves with the incentive programs’ requirements by visiting CMS’ Official Web Site for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs:http://www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms . The site provides general and detailed information on the programs, including tabs on the path to payment, eligibility, meaningful use, certified EHR technology, and frequently asked questions.
2. ONC Issues Final Rule Guiding Permanent Certification Program
On Monday, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT issued a final rule to establish a permanent health IT certification program for electronic health record systems and modules, Health Data Management reports. Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of EHRs will qualify for incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid.
Final Rule Details: According to the final rule, ONC will choose one organization -- called the ONC-approved accreditor -- to accredit groups aiming to become a health IT certification body. ONC will grant ONC-AA status only to one organization, which will be chosen through a competitive process every three years. When an entity is accredited by the ONC-AA, it can apply to become an ONC-authorized certification body. ONC expects that about six organizations will be approved as ACBs. The permanent certification program will provide features that will make health IT certification more comprehensive, reliable and transparent, according to an ONC release.
ONC will request that the National Institute of Standards and Technology develop a laboratory program for entities that test health IT systems under the permanent certification program. ONC said this will enhance overall objectivity and testing under the permanent certification program.
Additional Specifications: The final rule provided other details about the permanent certification program, including:
· ACBs will be required to monitor EHRs after they receive certification;
· ACBs will be required to accept requests for a newer version of a previously certified complete EHR system or EHR module to inherit the certified status of the earlier version;
· ACBs will be allowed to certify other types of health IT, if the necessary certification criteria are adopted and
· ACBs will be allowed to perform "gap certification" for new features or functions of previously certified complete EHR systems or EHR modules.
Next Up; In the spring, ONC will begin accepting applications from groups seeking to conduct certifications under the permanent program. Current authorized testing and certification bodies under the temporary program must reapply to become certifiers in the permanent program. ONC estimates that the temporary program is expected to end Dec. 31, 2011 and the permanent program will begin on Jan. 1, 2012.
Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2011/1/4/onc-issues-final-rule-guiding-permanent-certification-program.aspx#ixzz1AB3TmDm7
3. ONC Allocates More REC Funding To Aid Health IT Adoption at Hospitals
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT has announced that it will distribute an additional $12.2 million in grant funding to regional extension centers that have been established to help small, rural and critical access hospitals adopt health IT, Health Data Management reports.
RECs are designed to help health care providers demonstrate meaningful use of electronic health records to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments under the 2009 economic stimulus package.
Previously, RECs had a funding cap of $12,000 per hospital. Through the funding boost, the per-hospital funding limit will be increased to $18,000.
RECs have until Jan. 12 to submit applications for the additional funding (Goedert, Health Data Management, 1/4).
Read more: http://www.ihealthbeat.org/articles/2011/1/5/onc-allocates-more-rec-funding-to-aid-health-it-adoption-at-hospitals.aspx#ixzz1ACBVRQem
Web Resources
Ø Certified Health IT Product List: http://onc-chpl.force.com/ehrcert
Ø Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE)
Ø Kentucky Governor’s Office of Electronic Health Information
Ø CMS Frequently Asked Questions regarding Economic Recovery Act.
Ø HIMSS Economic Stimulus Resources- broad based resource with links for health care providers including buyers guides, FAQ’s on all areas, getting started guides, comments, rule summaries, payment calculators.
Ø Monitor ONCHIT developments (http://www.hhs.gov/healthit)
Ø Monitor CCHIT Activities (http://www.cchit.org)
Ø Monitor Grants: http://www.ahrq.gov/fund/ and www.grants.gov
Ø Overview of Recovery Act : http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/overview/index.html or http://www.recovery.gov/
Ø National Health Information Network (NHIN)
Ø HHS Health Information Privacy (the entry point to the HHS Health Information Privacy portal. If you are looking for regulatory information regarding HIPAA's Privacy rule this is where you should start)
Ø HHS Overview Security Standard ( the entry point to the HHS Security Standard portal. If you are looking for regulatory information regarding HIPAA's Security rule this is where you should start)
Ø Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (www.hitsp.org) serve as a cooperative partnership between the public and private sectors for the purpose of achieving a widely accepted and useful set of standards specifically to enable and support widespread interoperability among healthcare software applications, as they will interact in a local, regional and national health information network for the United States
Ø HIMSS Analytics: The State of U.S. Hospitals Relative to Achieving Meaningful Use Measurements -http://www.himssanalytics.org/docs/HA_ARRA_100509.pdf
Ø Rural Health IT Adoption Toolbox - to serve rural health providers seeking to implement health IT to improve the overall effectiveness of their institutions.
Ø Health IT Adoption Toolbox - to serve health centers as well as other safety net and ambulatory care providers seeking to implement health IT to improve the overall effectiveness of their institutions.
Ø Childrens Health IT Adoption Toolbox - toolbox on promoting children's health and well-being through health information technology.
KHA Contact:
Paige Franklin, FHIMSS
Vice President of Information Services, KHA
2501 Nelson Miller Parkway
Louisville, KY 40223
502-426-6220 x342
Fax: 502-992-4390
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