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AAO, other groups urge CMS to delay stage 3 Meaningful Use requirements
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Ophthalmologists are struggling to meet attestation requirements of the Meaningful Use program for electronic health record adoption, the American Academy of Ophthalmology informed the CMS.
According to a statement from the AAO, a coalition of medical societies, including the AAO and American Medical Association, is asking CMS to create a hardship exception for providers affected by delayed rulemaking for Meaningful Use stages 1 and 2 and to delay finalization of the proposed stage 3 rule.
Oct. 3 was the deadline for providers to begin the previously proposed shortened 90-day reporting period for 2015. A proposed rule issued in April was intended to streamline objectives and measures to help providers meet Meaningful Use requirements.
“CMS told the Academy a month ago that it would modify the program’s requirements to provide a more realistic path to success in 2015. It also said the Academy should expect the reporting period to be shortened to 90 days and to expect changes to the requirements for patient use of online portals. Due to CMS not delivering on this promise, ophthalmologists are now facing tremendous challenges to meet the program’s many reporting requirements in time. Failure to do so will result in significant financial penalties,” the AAO statement said.
The medical organizations asked CMS to modify the timeline to extend the 2015 reporting period into the 2016 calendar year.
In addition, the organizations mobilized 116 members of the House of Representatives to support their position. A letter signed by the members was sent to the Office of Management and Budget.
According to the AAO, a hardship exception would let physicians avoid penalties associated with the 2015 reporting year.
“This rulemaking delay has put providers in an impossible situation, leaving them no time to adequately prepare for the proposed 90-day [Meaningful Use] reporting cycle of 2015,” Michael X. Repka, MD, MBA, the AAO’s medical director of government affairs, said in the statement. “The Academy and the coalition hope CMS will act in fairness by agreeing to this hardship exemption.”
According to the statement, the coalition of medical societies and legislators “believe the only way to preserve the overall goals of the Meaningful Use program is to delay stage 3 rulemaking. No other action can ensure that CMS aligns the program with the changes stemming from the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015. A pause is the only chance for CMS to completely understand Stages 1 and 2’s impact.”
The letter signed by the House members urged refraining “from finalizing Meaningful Use stage 3 at this time.” The letter further states: “While health care providers are committed to implementing EHRs, many are becoming disenchanted by the seemingly unrealistic expectations dictated by the Meaningful Use program.”
Under the program, providers who attest to meaningful use of EHRs are eligible to receive up to $44,000 in incentive payments. – by Matt Hasson