Medical Billing Blog

As 2014 came to a close, the Meaningful Use program continued to fall short of its intended goals.  Although more than 500,000 providers have registered for the Meaningful Use program, only 4% of professionals and 35% of hospitals have attested to Stage 2 of the program.  These disappointing numbers come despite the fact that CMS watered down some of the requirements and moved the deadline back from November 30th to December 31st.  Many providers are calling for the CMS to reduce its 365 day reporting requirement to 90 days but CMS remains steadfast behind the 365 day requirement. 

A recent survey of more than 18,500 physicians finds that 22 percent of them are opting out of or disregarding altogether the meaningful use electronic health records program.

Medicare providers who are unable to successfully demonstrate meaningful use for 2013 due to circumstances beyond their control can apply for a “hardship exemption.”  CMS is accepting applications for hardship exceptions to avoid the upcoming Medicare payment reductions for the 2013 reporting year.