Beginning in 2015, there are several changes to the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs objectives and measures for eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs).

To help you prepare to participate in the Medicare and/or Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, review the following registration and attestation checklists. Once you are ready, you can register and/or attest through the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation Website.

In October 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule that specifies criteria that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. The final rule’s provisions apply from 2015 through 2017, as well as in Stage 3 of the EHR Incentive Programs in 2018 and beyond.

In order to demonstrate meaningful use, eligible professionals (EPs) who practice in multiple locations will need at least 50 percent of their patient encounters during the reporting period to take place at locations with certified EHR technology. An EP who does not conduct at least 50 percent of their patient encounters in any one practice/location would have to meet the 50 percent threshold through a combination of practices/locations equipped with CEHRT. Eligible professionals who meet this requirement need to calculate their meaningful use data using only patient encounters at locations with certified EHR technology.

The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs encourage patient involvement in their health care. Online access to health information allows patients to make informed decisions about their care and share their most recent clinical information with other health care providers and personal caregivers.