Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center
CMS Published Correcting Amendment on December 29, 2010
On December 29th, CMS published a Correcting Amendment, correcting typographical and technical errors identified in the final rule entitled “Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program”, that appears in the July 28, 2010 Federal Register.
Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program; Correcting Amendment
CMS and ONC Final Rules Release July 13, 2010
Key changes in the final CMS MU rule include:
- Greater flexibility with respect to eligible professionals and hospitals in meeting and reporting certain objectives for demonstrating meaningful use. The final rule divides the objectives into a “core” group of required objectives and a “menu set” of procedures from which providers may choose any five to defer in 2011-2012. This gives providers latitude to pick their own path toward full EHR implementation and meaningful use.
- An objective of providing condition-specific patient education resources for both EPs and eligible hospitals and the objective of recording advance directives for eligible hospitals, in line with recommendations from the Health Information Technology Policy Committee.
- A definition of a hospital-based EP as one who performs substantially all of his or her services in an inpatient hospital setting or emergency room only, which conforms to the Continuing Extension Act of 2010.
- CAHs within the definition of acute care hospital for the purpose of incentive program eligibility under Medicaid.
**Please note corrections to final rule dated December 29, 2010. See link to Correcting Amendment above. The Final Rule of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program Final Rule
Establishment of the Permanent Certification Program for Health Information Technology
For further information regarding up-to-date, detailed information about these final rules see the CMS website http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentiveProgram/ or the ONC website at http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt