CMS has issued a final rule granting providers the flexibility in meaningful use attestation the agency had originally proposed back in May.
Under the modified attestation schedule, providers that were not able to fully implement 2014 Edition certified EHR technology in time to successfully attest to meaningful use due to vendor delays will be able to use 2011 Edition CEHRT or a combination of 2011 and 2014 Edition to attest to either stage 1 or stage 2. Providers will also be able to attest to meaningful use under the 2013 reporting year definition and use 2013's clinical quality measures.
The flexibility in attestation was largely welcomed by providers when it was proposed this spring. However, the timing of the proposal and the required 60-day comment period means this final rule comes almost two months after the start of the last 90-day attestation period for the 2014 reporting year.
The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives has supported giving providers more options for attesting in what has been a challenging year for CIOs. However, the organization was disappointed the rule will still require a full year of attestation in 2015.
"Roughly 50 percent of eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals were scheduled to meet stage 2 requirements this year and nearly 85 percent of EHs and CAHs will be required to meet stage 2 requirements in 2015,” said CHIME CEO Russ Branzell in a statement. “Most hospitals that take advantage of new pathways made possible through this final rule will not be in a position to meet stage 2 requirements beginning Oct. 1, 2014. This means that penalties avoided in 2014 will come in 2015, and millions of dollars will be lost due to misguided government timelines.”
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