FY2019 IPPS/LTCH PPS Proposed Rule Released
CMS released the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and Long Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System proposed rule on April 24, 2018. CMS is proposing to overhaul the program to: make the program more flexible and less burdensome, emphasize measures that require the exchange of health information between providers and patients, and incentivize providers to make it easier for patients to obtain their medical records electronically. CMS is currently seeking public comments. The deadline for submitting comments on the proposed rule and the RFI is no later than June 25 2018, at 11:59 PM ET.

CMS Re-naming the Meaningful Use Program
With the goal of focusing attention on data sharing and greater flexibility, CMS is renaming the Meaningful Use Program (formerly known as Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs) to Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program. (This includes renaming ACI under MIPS.)

A fact sheet on the proposed rule (CMS-1694-P), is available here.
To view the proposed rule (CMS-1694-P), please visit here.

Now is the Time to Schedule a Meeting with Your Health IT Advisor
Contact your Health IT advisor and provide Meaningful Use reports run using a 90-day reporting period in 2018. A Meaningful Use gap analysis and action plan will then be completed and discussed in detail with you. It is essential to begin reviewing your 2018 MU reports and monitor your progress on a regular basis. This will allow time to reassess workflows within the practice.

2018 Meaningful Use Facts

The EHR Meaningful Use Objective reporting period for all participants is a minimum of any continuous 90 days from January 1 through December 31, 2018.

The Clinical Quality Measures are expected to be reported electronically under the following reporting periods:

• First-time Meaningful Users – Any continuous 90 days in 2018
• Returning Meaningful Users – 2018 Full Calendar Year

Health care providers are required to electronically report clinical quality measures (eCQMs), which use data from EHRs and/or health information technology systems to measure health care quality. This is required beginning in January 2018. To report eCQMs successfully, health care providers must adhere to the requirements identified by the CMS quality program in which they intend to participate.

You will have the choice in attesting to either:

A: Modified Stage 2 – Providers may attest to objectives and measures using EHR technology certified to the 2014 Edition, 2015 Edition, or a combination of the two

OR

B: Stage 3 – Providers may attest to objectives and measures using EHR technology using a combination of 2014 and 2015 Edition or 2015 Edition

2018 Resources

• Find Specification Sheets for Modified Stage 2 here
• Find Specification Sheets for Stage 3 here
• Find eCQM table here
• Find CMS Frequently Asked Questions here
• Find KY Medicaid website here
• Find Kentucky Health Information Exchange website here
• Find CMS EHR Incentive website here

For answers to your questions about Promoting Interoperability (Meaningful Use), contact our experts at 859-323-3090 or Kentucky REC