Review 2017 Program Requirements in the 2017 OPPS/ASC Final Rule on the EHR Incentive Programs Website

Providers who have not demonstrated meaningful use successfully in a prior year and are seeking to demonstrate meaningful use for the first time in 2017 to avoid the 2018 payment adjustment must attest to Modified Stage 2 objectives and measures. Providers who have demonstrated meaningful use successfully in a previous year may attest to Stage 3 objectives and measures starting in 2017.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) encourages eligible hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals (CHAs) and dual-eligible hospitals to visit the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs website for more details about the 2017 program requirements outlined below.

OPPS/ASC Final Rule with Comment Period:

• Eliminated the Clinical Decision Support (CDS), and the Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) objectives and measures beginning in 2017
• Reduced the threshold for the View, Download or Transmit (VDT) measure of the Patient Electronic Access Objective to at least one unique patient (or patient-authorized representative) for Modified Stage 2
• Reduced the thresholds for a subset of Patient Electronic Access to Health Information, Coordination of Care through Patient Engagement, Health Information Exchange, and Public Health Reporting and Clinical Data Registry measures for Stage 3
• Added new naming conventions for measures
• Requires that actions occur within the EHR reporting period, or the calendar year in which the EHR reporting period occurs, in order to be included in the numerators for specific measures

For More Information:

Visit the EHR Incentive Programs website and review the following materials:

• Modified Stage 2 and Stage 3 Attestation Worksheets for Eligible Hospitals, CAHs, and Dual-Eligible Hospitals
• Overview of the OPPS/ASC Final Rule Changes for the EHR Incentive Programs