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Medicare Attestation Begins on April 18. Are You Ready?

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Attestation for the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program begins on April 18, 2011. In order to receive your Medicare EHR incentive payment, you must attest through CMS' web-based Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs Registration and Attestation System.

Today you can preview selected screenshots of the Attestation System to help you understand what the attestation process will involve. Please note that these screenshots are only examples—the final appearance and language may incorporate additional changes.

CMS will release additional information about the Medicare attestation process soon, including User Guides that provide step-by-step instructions for completing attestation, and educational webinars that describe the attestation process in depth.

Here is more information to help you prepare for Medicare attestation:
You need to understand the required meaningful use criteria to successfully attest. Meaningful use requirements for eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program are different:

• EP Meaningful Use Criteria – Must report on 15 core measures, 5 of 10 menu measures, and 6 clinical quality measures, consisting of 3 required core measures and 3 additional measures.

• Go to the Stage 1 EHR Meaningful Use Specification Sheets for EPs for information on core and menu measures for EPs.

• Go to the Clinical Quality Measures page for information on the required clinical quality measures for EPs.

• Eligible Hospital and CAH Meaningful Use Criteria – Must report on 14 core measures, 5 of 10 menu measures, and 15 clinical quality measures.

• Go to the Stage 1 EHR Meaningful Use Specification Sheets for Eligible Hospitals and CAHs for information on core and menu measures for eligible hospitals and CAHs.

• Go to the Clinical Quality Measures page for information on the required clinical quality measures for eligible hospitals and CAHs.

You should also make sure that you begin your 90-day reporting period in time to attest and receive a Medicare payment in 2011. The last day to begin your 90-day reporting period for 2011 incentive payments is:

• July 3, 2011, for eligible hospitals and CAHs, and

• October 1, 2011, for EPs.

Under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, the date when participants can begin attestation for adopting, implementing, upgrading, or demonstrating meaningful use of certified EHR technology varies by state. Go to the Medicaid State EHR Incentive Program web tool for more information about your state's participation in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.