Successfully Report on Your MACRA Advancing Care Information Measures Using Certified Health IT
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) program’s Advancing Care Information performance category replaces the Medicare Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program for eligible clinicians (also known as meaningful use). This category supports the secure exchange of health information and encourages you to use certified EHR technology.
How does this affect you? Regardless of whether you’re reporting on the Advancing Care Information Objectives and Measures, or on the Advancing Care Information Transition Objectives and Measures, using certified EHR technology can aid you in the process. It may help you attain the 25 points allocated to Advancing Care Information reporting as part of the MIPS program.
Using a certified EHR technology is required for reporting Advancing Care Information measures for most clinicians (possible exceptions are outlined at https://qpp.cms.gov/docs/QPP_ACI_Fact_Sheet.pdf), and it may make your overall MIPS reporting easier.
Which Version of the Advancing Care Information Measure Should You Use?
MIPS eligible clinicians may report the Advancing Care Information Objectives and Measures if they have:
- EHR technology certified to the 2015 Edition, or
- A combination of certified EHR technologies from the 2014 and 2015 Editions that support these measures
In 2017, MIPS eligible clinicians can alternatively report the 2017 Advancing Care Information Transition Objectives and Measures if they use a certified EHR technology that complies with one of the following:
- EHR technology certified to the 2015 Edition
- EHR technology certified to the 2014 Edition
- A combination of EHR technologies certified to the 2014 and 2015 Editions
Regardless of your selection, using certified EHR technologies may help you satisfy your reporting requirements.
Familiar Territory
If you participated in the meaningful use program, you will be familiar with the requirements for the Advancing Care Information base score measures. They are very similar to the reporting requirements you have worked towards already.
For each of these measures, using a certified EHR technology may help you meet the requirements.
Security Risk Analysis |
Certified EHR technologies include the security functionality needed to conduct successful security risk analysis. |
E-prescribing |
If you are using a certified EHR technology, you are equipped to prescribe electronically, allowing you to satisfy this measure. |
Provide Patient Access |
One of the easier ways to provide patient access to their health data is by using patient portals that may be housed within or linked to certified EHR technologies. |
Send a Summary of Care |
Certified EHR technologies must be able to send a summary of care document, using a consolidated-clinical document architecture (C-CDA) compliant with reporting requirements. |
Request/ Accept a Summary of Care |
A certified EHR technology may allow you to request and accept a summary of care from another clinician in compliance with measure requirements. |
To view the list of certified EHR technologies, visit https://chpl.healthit.gov.