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CMS extends the EHR eligibility appeals deadline
by Jeff Grant
This article was published as part of a blog series on electronic health records and the optometric practice.
CMS just announced that the deadline for eligible professionals (EPs) to submit eligibility appeals under the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program’s 2011 payment year has been extended. The new deadline is April 30, 2012. The original deadline was March 31, so this gives you an extra month to file an appeal.
An eligibility appeal allows you to show that all the requirements for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program were met and that you should have received a payment but could not because of circumstances outside of your control.
The appeal process has two levels: an informal review and a request for reconsideration. Within the two-level appeal process, there are three types of appeals that can be filed in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program: eligibility, meaningful use and incentive payment appeals.
Detailed guidance on the appeals process and additional information on all of the appeal types are available on the OCSQ website. For general questions and information on how to file an appeal, providers may contact Provider Resources Inc., CMS's appeal support contractor. You can contact them by phone weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, toll-free: (855) 796-1515, or by email: OCSQAppeals@provider-resources.com.