CMS Extends Hospital Deadline for Meaningful Use Attestation
Hospitals can breathe a little easier this Thanksgiving. CMS announced on Monday that it was extending the attestation deadline for hospitals attesting to Meaningful Use in 2014. Hospitals now have until December 31, 2014 to attest for their 2014 Medicare incentive payments. Hospitals participating in electronic reporting of Clinical Quality Measures (eCQM) likewise have until December 31 to submit their eCQMs through QualityNet.
EPs and hospitals will need to separately comply with any attestation deadlines for their 2014 Medicaid incentive payments. Payment adjustments will be applied at the beginning of FY 2016 (Oct 1, 2015) for Medicare hospitals that do not demonstrate Meaningful Use in 2014. There are no Medicaid payment adjustments.
As a reminder, CMS also reopened the hardship exemption application deadline in the beginning of November for hospitals and EPs to avoid 2015 Medicare payment adjustments. This deadline of November 30, 2014 remains the same, despite the extention of the attestation deadline. The application deadline was extended only for the following providers who:
- Have been unable to fully implement 2014 Edition CEHRT due to delays in 2014 Edition AND
- Were unable to attest by October 1, 2014 (EPs) or were unable to attest by July 1, 2014 (hospitals) using the flexibility options provided in the CMS 2014 CEHRT Flexibility Rule. CEHRT availability
