We may have passed the “tipping point”, but meaningful use is still going strong, according to the latest EHR Incentive Program data released by CMS. Medicare has distributed $15.5 billion in incentive payments to eligible hospitals and providers over the life of the program, despite concern over a high dropout rate and questions about readiness for the imminent arrival of Stage 2. More than 6700 providers have joined the party in 2013 alone, bringing the total number of active participants to 309,802.
A mere 11% of eligible hospitals have not registered for the program so far, although not all registered facilities have successfully attested and received a payment. A similarly small number of eligible professionals (EPs) have stalled on registration, with approximately 24% of EPs opting out of getting started. Eight out of ten hospitals have received incentives for Stage 1, and 58% of EPs qualify as meaningful users.
With Stage 2 of the meaningful use program coming up quickly, and non-participation penalties on the horizon in 2015, providers who are able to maintain the data collection requirements are in a good position to avoid the payment adjustments that would take up to 5% of a provider’s Medicare reimbursements over several years. Providers who are interested in participating in meaningful use must begin their initial 90-day reporting period by October of 2013 to maximize the remaining incentive payments, now capped at $39,000 through 2016.
EHR adoption has doubled between 2012 and 2013 according to an announcement by CMS, with HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius lauding the progress of the EHR Incentive Program so far. “These systems are critical to modernizing our health care system. Health IT helps providers better coordinate care, which can improve patients’ health and save money at the same time.”
“If you’re a provider or hospital that has not yet gotten to meaningful use, it’s certainly not too late to think about it,” Robert Anthony, Deputy Director of the HIT Initiatives Group, Office of E-Health Standards and Services at CMS, urged in an interview with EHRintelligence. “There are a lot of resources that are out there, including the regional extension centers, that are really there to focus on smaller, rural, primary care providers, and help them overcome those challenges and give them some background about how to choose an EHR, and how to implement it. Take advantage of those resources, and start now.” Source
