APMA News - March 2013 - (Page 52)

IT Consultant By James R. Christina, DPM After Attesting for Meaningful Use of an EHR, Be Prepared for an Audit Medicare is offering incentive payments to eligible professionals who meet the requirements of using a certified electronic health record (EHR) in a meaningful way—a process known as “meaningful use.” In a nutshell, you must meet 15 core objectives, meet five out of 10 menu set objectives (including at least one of two public health measures), and report on clinical quality measures—three core and three additional measures out of a list of 38. Once you purchase a certified EHR program, you need to register it with Medicare (https://ehrincentives.cms.gov/hitech/ login.action). After completing the meaningful use requirements—90 consecutive days (in a calendar year) the first time you attest, and a full year each year subsequently (with the exception of 2014)—you then return to the same page on which you registered your EHR and attest to satisfactorily meeting all the requirements for meaningful use. Attestation involves answering a series of yes-or-no questions and completing numerators and denominators for various measures where appropriate. These tasks are all done online; no supplemental documentation is required. However, Medicare is conducting random audits of eligible physicians who successfully attest to meaningful use. Certified public accounting firm Figliozzi & Company, Inc., has been hired by CMS to conduct the audits. The audit letter explains that you can submit the requested information either electronically or by mail. An audit letter will include a request for information, including the name of your organization, EHR certification number, and reporting period start and end date, as well as the following documentation: General Information • ONC certification of the EHR system, as well as li• • • censing agreements with the vendor or invoices from the time the system was purchased to establish proof of possession of a certified EHR system; Indication of the number of offices/facilities where patients are seen; Verification of whether EHR software is used in all facilities; and Documentation proving that 50 percent or more of patient encounters during the EHR reporting period have been entered into the certified EHR system, e.g., 52 APMA News March 2013 an appointment log demonstrating all appointments that took place during the reporting period as well as a list of patient encounters from your EHR system. Core Set Objectives/Measures • Supporting documentation (in either paper or elec• • tronic format) used to complete the attestation module responses (e.g., a report from your EHR system that ties to your attestation). If you are providing a summary report from your EHR system as support for your numerators and denominators, you must ensure it can be confirmed that the report was generated by your EHR (e.g., your EHR logo is displayed on the report or stepby-step screenshots demonstrate how the report is generated by your EHR). To support the yes/no attestation measures, supply documentation such as screenshots from your EHR system. Menu Set Objectives/Measures • Same requirements as above for core set objectives/ measures. In addition to using your EHR in a meaningful way, you must keep all the documentation that supports your attestation so you can easily provide it in case of an audit. Be aware of the core measure that requires a security risk analysis. You need to have your HIPAA manual up to date as well, as evidence of completing a security risk analysis (conducted either on your own or by an expert you have hired) and documentation of the corrective action taken to address any deficiencies found during the risk analysis. As with any audit, providing complete, organized documentation is the key to getting through the process successfully. n Contact Dr. Christina at jrchristina@apma.org. https://ehrincentives.cms.gov/hitech/login.action https://ehrincentives.cms.gov/hitech/login.action

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - March 2013

APMA News - March 2013
In This Issue
Contents
Incoming APMA President Matthew G. Garoufalis, DPM, Urges Members to Devote Time Each Week to Advancing Vision 2015
Meet the Candidates Participating in Elections at This Year’s Meeting of the APMA House of Delegates
State Advocacy in Focus: Public Education and Outreach
New Physicians in 113th Congress Will Face Challenges to Health Care
The Future of Podiatric Medicine is Now: An Interview with Nichol Salvo, DPM
Sequestration, the “Doc Fix,” and the Future of the Medicare Provider Payment Formula
Updated List of Seal Holders
2012 Podiatric Practice Survey: Gender by Practice Arrangement Type
Bet on Vegas for a Features Good Time at the National
Annual Scientific Meeting Registration Forms
Team APMA 5K Run/Walk
Annual Scientific Meeting Sponsors
Affiliate Recognition Task Force
Federal Advocacy Forum
APMAPAC Chair Report
Seeking Award Nominations
IT Consultant
Call for Abstracts
Resolutions Deadlines
Inside APMA’s Social Media
Website Wisdom
Small Business 101
CPME Update
On the Road with APMA
In Short
Worthy of Note
New Members
Affiliates Corner
APMAPAC Update
Development Update
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index
10 Questions
Your APMA

APMA News - March 2013