Meaningful Use Timeline

Posted by Heather on 21 April 2011

A brief definition for meaningful use in the context of current CMS guidelines and incentives might be to say meaningful use is the tool providers use to demonstrate their adoption of EHR technology. For eligible providers who might purchase and use our complete certified EHR product (Vālant Premium Psychiatric Suite 4), an understanding of the timelines involved for meaningful use can help inform the decision making processes for buying and implementing an EMR/EHR.

The timelines are different for Medicare eligible providers and Medicaid eligible providers. The federal government via the Medicare incentive program will actually impose penalties for Medicare participating providers who do not purchase and demonstrate meaningful use of an electronic medical record for their patient documentation needs by the year 2014. If a Medicare participating provider does not adopt and use an EMR by January 1, 2015, she or he will be experience a payment reduction of 1% beginning in 2016, and that reduction will grow by 1% each subsequent year of non-adoption, up to a total of 5%. For the years of 2011–2016, Medicare eligible professionals who demonstrate meaningful use of a certified EHR system can receive up to $44,000 over the course of 5 years under the Medicare Incentive Program. In order for a Medicare EP to receive the maximum incentive possible, they must adopt a certified EMR by 2012. CMS has a very nice visual timeline available.

Meaningful use for Medicare must be demonstrated in the first year that a provider registers for the program, and for each successive year that they wish to receive an incentive payment in the program. In the first year, a provider must demonstrate meaningful use for a consecutive 90 day period. With this in mind, a provider will not be able demonstrate meaningful use for a 90 day consecutive time span if they adopt in 2011 in the fourth quarter of the year (October or beyond), since meaningful use must be demonstrated within the calendar year for a 90 day period. However, the provider can still receive the maximum Medicare incentive by adopting in 2011 and demonstrating meaningful use in 2012.

Medicaid eligible providers can adopt EHR technology any time between 2011 and 2016 and receive the maximum incentive of up to $63,500.00 without penalty. In the year of adoption, Medicaid EP’s need only to adopt a certified EHR to be able to register for the first year incentive payment of $21,250.00. To receive Medicaid incentives in subsequent years, providers must demonstrate meaningful use of the EHR.

For providers who might be eligible under both the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs, this summary provides a succinct explanation of the differences in the two programs.