Since your office workflow may need to be tweaked in order to integrate recording the required data for M.U., you want to allow time for your office to transition into this. One suggestion: don't try on monday to start clicking all the MU boxes. Rather start with a few MU boxes, develop the habit of checking those for a week or two. Then start checking a few more boxes in addition for a week or two to build up to this gradually. ALSO enlist your staff to help you. They should be able to easily do the following for you: click the demographic requirement, input the complete vitals, check smoking status, and reconcile the med list with the patient. They can probably do a few more boxes for you, but they should at minimum help you with the above.
Play with this for several weeks or a couple months. Run the MU report periodically and see how you are doing. Once you feel confident you are meeting goals, then begin your report period. Also select Menu items and alternate CQM's that are EASY for you to record and fit well into your type of practice.
John is 100% correct. 2012 attestation is based upon 2012 calendar year Medicare payments, NOT the prior year. Your 1st year of participation requires only 90 days of data in order to attest (but you must have a minimum $24,000 in Medicare allowable charges to qualify). However subsequent years require data collection for the entire year in order to qualify.
John is also correct that in order to attest during stage 2, you must have attested in stage 1. However stage 2 implementation has been delayed until at least 2013. So we have time. In regard to John's question:
how is this going to work, since the stage 2 rules aren't available yet?
I spoke to the Maine Regional Extension Center Director last week about this. She told me that while the rules are not released, she attended a workshop recently and summarized it very nicely for me in an email, and I quote: "Stage 1 (2011 and 2012) sets the baseline for electronic data capture and information sharing. Stage 2 (expected to be implemented in 2013) and Stage 3 (expected to be implemented in 2015) will continue to expand on this baseline and be developed through future rule making. Guidance I received at a recent workshop to best prepare practices for Meaningful Use Stages 2 & 3: Encourage practices to hit the measures 100% of the time. So you?re well on your way."
Bottom line, the sooner we all start playing the game the better off we are going to be. Since we are being offered money to implement these changes, we should get on board as soon as possible. You also get the most allowable incentive payments by early participation. 2012 is the final year to participate AND get the entire $44,000. Effective 2015, MU will be a "requirement" to participate or face a 2-5% penalty in your Medicare reimbursement for non-participation.
I wish to clarify that I'm not implying that we MUST participate. It is elective. I say it's a "requirement" to participate b/c we will be penalized for not participating. It truly is strong-arming by the U.S. Government, but what's new?
