The final rule effectively reduces this confusion by allowing all providers to attest to any continuous 90-day period in 2015, but mandating full year reporting in 2016 with the only exceptions granted to new EHs or EPs.” FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 appropriate stage and program year was increasingly difficult for providers and their vendors, particularly with the ever-changing nature of today’s healthcare marketplace. Reference labs, for example, serving multiple hospitals and physician practices, needed to be aware of each client’s timeline to safeguard all their MU efforts. With some providers on Stage 1 and others on Stage 2, even sometimes within the same client, timelines were becoming unnecessarily complex. The final rule effectively reduces this confusion by allowing all providers to attest to any continuous 90-day period in 2015, but mandating full year reporting in 2016 with the only exceptions granted to new EHs or EPs. Easing the timeline even further, EHs who reported based on the Federal fiscal year are now aligned with the EP schedule, reporting on the calendar year. In addition to changing the timeline, CMS has eliminated Stage 1 and the structural concept of core and menu measures going forward. All providers will attest to what is now referred to as “Modified Stage 2,” which includes a reduced roster of requirements, but all compliance standards must be attained. During 2015, providers previously scheduled to be in Stage 1 were allowed exclusions for Stage 2 requirements. However, in 2016, these providers will need to attest to all of the requirements with the exception of two: electronic prescribing and CPOE for laboratory and radiology orders can be excluded by providers who would have been in Stage 1 in 2016 prior to the final rule. With all providers operating on the same timeline and attesting to the same measures, confusion will certainly be eased. However, those assisting providers to meet their MU goals, such as laboratories and EHR vendors, must be prepared for the influx of client requests with identical deadlines. The need for experienced laboratory professionals will certainly increase as demands for resources to aid MORE ON THE WEB Find out where the leading 2016 presidential candidates stand on the Affordable Care Act. More … THINKSTOCK 8 ADVANCE FOR MEDICAL LABORATORY PROFESSIONALS COVER STORY
ADVANCE for Medical Laboratory Professionals • February/March 2016
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