Certified EHR Technology

Certified EHR Technology

What is a certified EHR?

In order to capture and share patient data efficiently, providers need an EHR that stores data in a structured format. Structured data allows patient information to be easily retrieved and transferred, and it allows the provider to use the EHR in ways that can aid patient care.
 

CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have established standards and other criteria for structured data that EHRs must use in order to qualify for this incentive program.
 

To get an incentive payment, you must use an EHR that is certified specifically for the EHR Incentive Programs. Certified EHR technology gives assurance to purchasers and other users that an EHR system or module offers the necessary technological capability, functionality, and security to help them meet the meaningful use criteria. Certification also helps providers and patients be confident that the electronic health IT products and systems they use are secure, can maintain data confidentially, and can work with other systems to share information.
 

Please Note: EHRs certified or qualified for other Medicare incentive programs may not be certified for this program. Also, if you already own an EHR, it may not be certified for use in the EHR Incentive Programs.
 

To learn which EHR systems and modules are certified for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, please visit the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) on the ONC website: http://healthit.hhs.gov/chpl

Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Electronic Medical Record (EMR)? Sometimes people use the terms "Electronic Medical Record" or "EMR" when talking about Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology. Very often an Electronic Medical Record or EMR is just another way to describe an Electronic Health Record or EHR, and both providers and vendors sometimes use the terms interchangeably. For the purposes of the Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs, eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must use certified EHR technology.

What is the CMS EHR Certification ID?
During attestation, CMS requires each eligible professional, eligible hospital and critical access hospital to provide a CMS EHR Certification ID that identifies the certified EHR technology being used to demonstrate meaningful use. This unique CMS EHR Certification ID or Number can be obtained by entering your certified EHR technology product information at the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) on the ONC website: http://healthit.hhs.gov/chpl
 

NOTE: The ONC CHPL Product Number issued to your vendor for each certified technology is different than the CMS EHR Certification ID. Only a CMS EHR Certification ID obtained through the CHPL will be accepted at attestation

Eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals can obtain a CMS EHR Certification ID by following these steps:

1.      Go to the ONC CHPL website:  http://healthit.hhs.gov/chpl

2.      Select your practice type by selecting the Ambulatory or Inpatient buttons.

3.      Search for EHR Products by browsing all products, searching by product name or searching by criteria met.

4.      Add product(s) to your cart to determine if your product(s) meet 100% of the CMS required criteria.

5.      Request a CMS EHR Certification ID for CMS attestation. The CMS EHR Certification ID contains 15 alphanumeric characters.

Definition of Meaningful use

Meaningful Use

What is meaningful use?

Electronic health records can provide many benefits for providers and their patients, but the benefits depend on how they're used. Meaningful use is the set of standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Incentive Programs that governs the use of electronic health records and allows eligible providers and hospitals to earn incentive payments by meeting specific criteria. For details about the incentive programs, visit the CMS website.

The goal of meaningful use is to promote the spread of electronic health records to improve health care in the United States.

The benefits of the meaningful use of EHRs include:

• Complete and accurate information. With electronic health records, providers have the information they need to provide the best possible care. Providers will know more about their patients and their health history before they walk into the examination room.
• Better access to information. Electronic health records facilitate greater access to the information providers need to diagnose health problems earlier and improve the health outcomes of their patients. Electronic health records also allow information to be shared more easily among doctors' offices, hospitals, and across health systems, leading to better coordination of care.
• Patient empowerment. Electronic health records will help empower patients to take a more active role in their health and in the health of their families. Patients can receive electronic copies of their medical records and share their health information securely over the Internet with their families.

Background: Legislation and Regulations
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act provides the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) with the authority to establish programs to improve health care quality, safety, and efficiency through the promotion of health IT, including electronic health records and private and secure electronic health information exchange.

Background: Legislation and Regulations
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act provides the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) with the authority to establish programs to improve health care quality, safety, and efficiency through the promotion of health IT, including electronic health records and private and secure electronic health information exchange.

Under HITECH, eligible health care professionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments when they adopt certified EHR technology and use it to achieve specified objectives.

Four regulations have been released, two of which define the “meaningful use” objectives that providers must meet to qualify for the bonus payments, and two of which identify the technical capabilities required for certified EHR technology.

• Incentive Program for Electronic Health Records: Issued by CMS, these final rules define the minimum requirements that providers must meet through their use of certified EHR technology in order to qualify for the payments for Stages 1 and 2 of meaningful use.
• Standards and Certification Criteria for Electronic Health Records: Issued by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), these rules identify the standards and certification criteria for the certification of EHR technology, so eligible professionals and hospitals may be assured that the systems they adopt are capable of performing the required functions.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced the release of the final rules for Stage 2 of meaningful use and updated certification criteria and standards. Learn more about the final rules and read about meaningful use clinical quality measures.

Stages of Meaningful Use

 

 

In order to achieve meaningful use, eligible providers and hospitals must adopt certified EHR technology and use it to achieve specific objectives.

These meaningful use objectives and measures will evolve in three stages over the next five years:

The Stages involved in Implementing EHR and getting Meaningful Use Incentives: