If your company uses software or systems such as the ones we offer through Health-Tec to manage electronic medical records, then you may be eligible for a financial incentive through Medicare and Medicaid. These healthcare providers offer an EHR (Electronic Health Records) Incentive Program to encourage the use of automated systems for processes affecting the management of health records, billing, patient information and more. To be eligible, your practice must meet meaningful use criteria Stages 1 and 2. When you choose to work with companies such as ours, you can almost guarantee that you will meet these criteria.
How the Incentive Program Works
To be eligible for this, your practice must meet Stage 1 criteria for a minimum of 90 days within the first year your electronic medical records system has been meaningfully used. Then, your company must meet meaningful use Stage 2 criteria for a minimum of two years before being eligible for the incentive.
Stage 1 Criteria
There are three goals for Stage 1 criteria. First, you must prove meaningful use through activities such as prescribing. Second, your practice should be able to exchange health information, with the aim to improve quality. Finally, your practice should be able to submit Clinical Quality Measures, or CQM, for approval. The specifics that you must meet will be determined by your practice. For example, hospitals must meet 15 CQMs, while doctor offices must only meet 6 CQMs. Once you have met Stage 1 criteria for a minimum of 90 days, your business can continue on to meaningful use Stage 2 criteria. At Health-Tec, we offer you access to the system you need to ensure you meet EHR Incentive Program criteria.
Stage 2 Criteria
The first part of meaningful use Stage 2 is compliance with CQMs. Practitioners must report 9 out of a list of 64 CQMs, while hospitals must report 16 out of 29 CQMs. Any potentially eligible recipient of the program must also meet three out of six key health care policies. These include effectiveness of use in clinical processes, efficient healthcare resource use, coordination of care, attention to patient safety, public and population health, and patient and family engagement. Using our software ensures you will be able to meet the CQM requirements for meaningful use Stage 2.
Reporting CQMs
To report CQMs for meaningful use Stage 2, either an individual or a group method can be used. The PQRS (Physician Quality Reporting System) is an individual tool that uses Category I format. Transmission using content management software is an option for groups while utilizing Category III format. In addition to ensuring you can comply with the incentive guidelines, our company can help you easily communicate your compliance with Medicare and Medicaid.
