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2014 CEHRT Hardship Exception Guidance announced today

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued guidance for eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals that are unable to implement the 2014 Edition of Certified Electronic Health Record technology in time to successfully demonstrate meaningful use for the 2014 reporting year.

Visit the EHR Incentive Program webpage (http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentiveProg... ) for the:

HIMSS 2014 Is NEXT WEEK!

We are based in the Washington DC Metro Area (Fairfax, VA ) and have been dealing with snow-days, snow delays, traffic etc. If you are anything like us, you are looking forward to HIMSS 2014. Not only for the informative sessions, meetings with vendors, networking with colleagues, but for THE WEATHER.

The Weather Channel says that for next week Orlando FL will be in the mid 70s. Nice.

ONC Now Requires Publicly Accessible Certification Test Results

ONC’s 2014 Edition EHR Certification Criteria define the requirements that EHR technology must meet in order to be used by eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals (EHs), and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. In addition to these criteria, ONC made some policy changes to the HIT Certification Program.

CMS Extends Meaningful Use Deadline by a Month

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is extending the deadline for eligible professionals to attest to meaningful use for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program 2013.

"This extension will allow more time for providers to submit their meaningful use data and receive an incentive payment for the 2013 program year, as well as avoid the 2015 payment adjustment."

Spend Valentines day at the CMS eHealth Summit

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting the CMS eHealth Summit on ICD-10. The Summit will be held on Friday, February 14, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET at the CMS Headquarters in Baltimore, MD.

At this meeting, representatives from various health care sectors will share their perspectives on preparing for the October 1, 2014, ICD-10 compliance date. Panels will include health care providers, payers and vendors, who will discuss best practices, address potential challenges, and available resources.

EHR Usability Consultation and Certification

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has released certification and meaningful use requirements for electronic health records (EHRs). These require that EHR vendors include evidence of user-centered design and user test results in their certification submission. To be able to obtain the ONC certification (and meaningful use funding) EHR vendors must follow a formal User Centered Design (UCD) process and perform summative usability testing on specific areas of the product.

CMS Offering Free Webinar on Preparing for MU Stage 2

Join the Next eHealth Provider Webinar on January 14 to Learn How You Can Prepare for Stage 2

Are you participating in the EHR Incentive Programs? Have you completed two or more years of Stage 1? If so, it’s time to start preparing for Stage 2 and earn an incentive for 2014 participation.

Join CMS for the next eHealth provider webinar on Tuesday, January 14th from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. ET to get ready for Stage 2.
What will you learn?

CMS proposes a new timeline for meaningful use

Under the revised timeline, Stage 2 will be extended through 2016 and Stage 3 will begin in 2017 for those providers that have completed at least two years in Stage 2. The goal of this change is two-fold: first, to allow CMS and ONC to focus efforts on the successful implementation of the enhanced patient engagement, interoperability and health information exchange requirements in Stage 2; and second, to utilize data from Stage 2 participation to inform policy decisions for Stage 3.

ONC issues new guidance for Stage 2 Meaningful Use.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued a four-page guidance sheet to aid eligible professionals in meeting Stage 2 meaningful use requirements covering a summary of care, clinical summary and patient electronic access to their medical record.

The document outlines the required data elements and provides additional guidance, according to CMS. “While some of the data elements are common between these three objectives, other data elements are individual to each objective.”

Today is World Usability Day!!! November 14th 2013

Today is World Usability Day!

The importance of user-centered design in healthcare is truly life or death. Whether it's new medical devices or technologies; drug research, approval or delivery; patient forms or medical record sharing; emergency disaster planning or increasing the functionality of hospitals and everyday healthcare delivery, everyone is affected in some way by the intersection of usability in healthcare. There are many commonalities, yet each region of the world faces its own set of unique challenges.

FDA issues final guidance on mobile medical apps!

U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued final guidance for developers of mobile medical applications, or apps, which are software programs that run on mobile communication devices and perform the same functions as traditional medical devices. The guidance outlines the FDA’s tailored approach to mobile apps.

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