The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have shifted their deadline for Meaningful Use (MU) attestation from the previous February 29 date to Friday, March 11, 2016. This most recent shift in deadline was made so that practices could attest to the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS, formerly PQRI), which has a deadline that falls on that same date. Both MU and PQRS are health care quality improvement incentive programs that are monitored and run through CMS. Physicians can attest to both programs at once as they share the same requirements and measures for quality assurance.
CMS has set up a site for their EHR Incentive Program where health care professionals can register and attest to MU and PQRS by the March 11, 2016 deadline.
In case you’re unsure if this deadline applies to you and your practice, CMS has stated that all “eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program” are beholden to this March 11 deadline for their 2015 attestation. CMS’ EHR Incentive Program is intended to provide incentives for eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals that are upgrading, or currently implementing, an EHR system.
March 11 is just one in a series of deadlines that are fast approaching for health care professionals attesting to CMS’ EHR programs. CMS has an ongoing Meaningful Use audit program looking to target practices that have missed or will miss these upcoming deadlines. They’ve set up a page that they regularly update with new CMS deadlines and attestation information, so be sure to check back regularly to keep your practice on track with your MU and EHR attestation.