Meaningful Use Stage 2 Overview, Payment Adjustment Amounts, and Hardship Exceptions Tipsheets
Contributed by Lee Kim, Esq.
412.594.3915
Highlights of meaningful use stage 2 include the following:
1. Eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals, and eligible professionals may demonstrate meaningful use stage 2 as early as 2014. Most of the stage 1 meaningful use stage 1 menu objectives are now stage 2 core objectives.
2. Eligible professionals must meet seventeen (17) core objectives and three (3) of six menu objectives for meaningful use stage 2.
3. Eligible hospitals must meet sixteen (16) core objectives and three (3) of six menu objectives for meaningful use stage 2.
4. Medicare eligible professionals and eligible hospitals beyond their first year of demonstrating meaningful use must report their clinical quality measure (CQM) data to CMS.
5. Medicaid providers that are eligible only for the Medicaid EHR incentive program will electronically report their CQM data to the state.
6. Eligible professionals must report on nine (9) out of 64 CQMs in 2014.
7,. Eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals must report on sixteen (16) out of 29 CQMs in 2014.
8. All providers (regardless of the stage of meaningful use) are only required to demonstrate meaningful use for a three (3) month EHR reporting period for the reporting period in 2014.
9. All providers (regardless of the stage of meaningful use) will report on clinical quality measures (CQMs) in the same way beginning in 2014.
Payment adjustments:
For Medicare eligible professionals, the payment adjustment amount is one-percent (1%) per year, cumulative for every year that an eligible professional is not a meaningful user. The maximum cumulative payment adjustment is five-percent (5%). Payment adjustments begin on January 1, 2015.
For Medicare subsection (d) eligible hospitals, the payment adjustment is cumulative for each year that a Medicare subsection (d) eligible hospital does not demonstrate meaningful use. Payment adjustments begin on October 1, 2014.
For critical access hospitals, the payment adjustment applies to Medicare reimbursement for inpatient services during the cost reporting period in which meaningful use has not been demonstrated. Payment adjustments begin with the fiscal year 2015 cost reporting period.
Hardship exceptions:
Hardship exceptions may be granted to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals under certain specific circumstances -- i.e., circumstances that pose a significant barrier to achieving meaningful use. CMS will post information on how to apply for a hardship exception on its website in the future.
Additional links:
Stage 1 vs. Stage 2 comparison for eligible professionals
Stage 1 vs. Stage 2 comparison for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals
2014 Clinical Quality Measures Tipsheet
