CMS permits practice administrators to register and attest for EMR meaningful use
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published their new policy permitting third parties to register and attest for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive program on behalf of eligible professionals (EPs). Under this program, EPs are eligible for up to $44,000 over five years under the Medicare program and up to $63,750 over six years under Medicaid. MGMA strongly advocated to persuade CMS to permit practice administrators to register with the agency on behalf of the practice’s EPs. CMS requires users registering or attesting on behalf of an EP to have an Identity and Access Management System (I&A) Web user account that must be associated with the EP’s National Provider Identifier. Practice administrators that do not have an I&A Web user account can create one on the CMS Website.
SGR One Month Fix Passed; A “Kick the Can” Approach
This afternoon, the House of Representatives, by voice vote, passed the bill, (HR 5712) that provides for a one month delay in the 23 percent cut in payment rates that otherwise would have taken effect on December 1st. Recall that the bill passed the Senate before the Thanksgiving recess.
While some Congressional leaders want to permanently fix the SGR, the costs to do so remain a big obstacle. As an example, the costs to fix this for one year are about $19 billion. The next deadline before the cuts take place is January 1st. Whether the Congress deals with this issue before they adjourn, or the next new Congress deals with it (retroactively) remains to be seen.
