Deadline to submit meaningful use hardship exception is July 1 June 25, 2014 Medicare EHR, Electronic Health Record, HIT, Medicare, Certified EHRs 0 Beginning January 1, 2015, Medicare physicians who have not successfully attested to meaningful use of a certified electronic health record (EHR) system may incur payment penalties, as mandated by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. These payment adjustments will be 1-2 percent of total Medicare charges in 2015, to 2 percent in 2016 and 3-5 percent in 2017 and beyond. The 2015 penalties are based on 2013 reporting data. Physicians who failed to successfully demonstrate meaningful use in 2013 can apply for a hardship exception to avoid the upcoming Medicare payment adjustment for 2015. Hardship exception applications must include supporting documentation that proves that demonstrating meaningful use would be a significant hardship for the physician. The deadline to submit a hardship exception application for 2015 is midnight Eastern time on July 1, 2014. The Centers for Medicare Services (CMS) will review applications to determine whether or not you will be granted a hardship exception. If approved, the exception is valid for one year. Eligible professionals can apply for hardship exceptions in the following categories: Infrastructure: Eligible professionals must demonstrate that they are in an area without sufficient internet access or face insurmountable barriers to obtaining infrastructure (e.g., lack of broadband). New Eligible Professionals: Newly practicing eligible professionals who would not have had time to become meaningful users can apply for a 2-year limited exception to payment adjustments. Unforeseen Circumstances: Examples may include a natural disaster or other unforeseeable barrier. Patient Interaction: Lack of face-to-face or telemedicine interaction with patient Lack of follow-up need with patients CMS has posted hardship exception applications on the EHR website at www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms. CMS has also published a hardship exception tip sheet for physicians. For more information on the federal EHR incentive program and meaningful use, see CMA On-Call documents #4301 "Electronic Health Records: Federal Incentive Program," #4302 "Meaningful Use of EHRs: Stage 1," and #4305 "Meaningful Use of EHRs: Stage 2." Comments are closed.
