Eligible professionals now have until March 20 to attest meaningful use for the 2014 EHR incentive program.
CMS has extended the original deadline from Feb. 28 but urges providers to begin attesting for 2014 as soon as they can, according to a news release. The extension also applies to eligible professionals who have not already used their "switch" to change programs from Medicare to Medicaid for the 2014 payment year.
CMS also noted that the Medicare extension does not affect deadlines for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. Another listserv from CMS about the Physician Quality Reporting System program extension is forthcoming, according to the news release.
The extension follows an announcement in January that CMS would soften on meaningful use attestation, pushing the reporting period to 90 days instead of a full year. Meaningful use attestation has lagged behind EHR adoption, coming in at 72 percent at the end of 2014, according to the ONC. The areas furthest behind are states with significant rural and remote areas such as Minnesota, Iowa, Nevada and Oklahoma.