It’s crunch time. The Meaningful Use attestation deadline for Medicare EPs reporting for the 2012 calendar year is February 28. That’s right, only four days away. It’s your last chance if you plan on earning the entire $44,000 maximum incentive.
If you have yet to complete attestation, you’re in luck. We’ve created a quick-and-easy review to help you meet the tight Meaningful Use attestation deadline with ease.
Where you’ll attest
To receive your Meaningful Use incentive payment for the calendar year 2012 you must attest to the Medicare Eligible Professionals Electronic Health Record Incentive Program ATTESTATION module.
Things you’ll need
Having the information you need on hand makes getting through the attestation process far easier. It saves you from constantly stopping to find the information you need.
The first necessities are your active National Provider Identifier (NPI) and your National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) username and password. You’ll use your NPPES username and password to log into the system. If you don’t have one, create your account here.
But if someone is attesting on your behalf, they will need to have an Identity and Access Management System (I&A) web user account. That person will have to register here to activate an account.
You’ll also need a CMS EHR Certification Identification Number from the Certified Health IT Product List. Sharing this number with CMS is a mandatory step in the attestation process. This page outlines the steps to obtaining an identification number.
Your Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs) are also needed for attestation. You’ll need 12 months of CQM data. This data must be submitted in order to receive payment. Your attestation status will remain pending until this data is sent electronically.
The attestation process
Once logged in to the ATTESTATION module, there are six “topics” you must complete to finish the attestation process. These include Attestation Information, Meaningful Use Core Measures, Meaningful Use Menu Measures, CQMs, Alternate Core CQMs, and Additional Clinical Quality CQMs.
CMS provides an EP Attestation Worksheet for Stage 1 where you can log your meaningful use measures beforehand and then utilize them as a reference sheet when using the module. It includes all 15 core measures, as well as the 10 menu measures. This will help you get through the module more quickly.
After completing all the measures, you’ll have the chance to go back and review all of your attestation information. Don’t skip the review because if you fail the attestation you’ll have to submit information from another 90-day period, meaning you might have to recalculate all of your numerator and denominator information.
CMS provides a far more in-depth view of the registration process in its Attestation User Guide for Eligible Professionals.
In Case of Trouble
If you encounter any problems during the attestation process, contact the EHR Information Center at 1-888-734-6433. Hours will be extended from February 25-28 in anticipation of high call volume. It will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CST from the 25th to the 27th, and from 7:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. CST on the 28th.
Don’t delay any longer and risk missing the Meaningful Use attestation deadline. Implementing an EHR can be a tough transition; you deserve the incentive for doing so.
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