Author: NC Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, NCMedicaid.HIT@dhhs.nc.go
The NC Medicaid EHR Incentive Program’s Quick Tip Webinar Series has been updated to reflect the rules and regulations for Program Year 2018. These short webinars explain each piece of the attestation process and most of them do so in roughly five-minutes or less. Topics include patient volume, resources when attesting, auditing, Clinical Quality Measures (CQM) and more. These webinars can be found on the "Resources and Webinars" tab of the program website.
The NC Medicaid EHR Incentive Program’s frequently asked questions have also been updated with new information for Program Year 2018. Visit the program FAQ page to learn more.
Promoting Interoperability Reporting Period
Per the updated IPPS Final Rule released Aug. 2, 2018, the EHR reporting period will now be referred to as the Promoting Interoperability (PI) reporting period. The PI reporting period is any continuous 90-day period or full calendar year within the program year in which a provider successfully demonstrates meaningful use (MU) of certified EHR technology. Providers will see this change when attesting in NC-MIPS.
NC Medicaid EHR Incentive Payment System (NC-MIPS) is Open for Program Year 2018
NC-MIPS is accepting Program Year 2018 Modified Stage 2 and Stage 3 MU attestations.
TIP: Providers who were paid for Program Year 2017 using a 90-day patient volume reporting period from May 1, 2017 through Dec. 31, 2017, may use the same patient volume reporting period to attest now for Program Year 2018.
In Program Year 2018, eligible professionals (EPs) may continue using a 90-day PI reporting period. EPs may attest with a 90-day CQM reporting period if they only attested to adopt, implement or upgrade (AIU) thus far and will be attesting to MU for the first time in Program Year 2018. They will see no changes to the attestation process in NC-MIPS.
However, EPs who have met MU in a previous program year will be required to use a full calendar year CQM reporting period in Program Year 2018. Since the CQM reporting period must be a full calendar year for these EPs, they will not be able to submit CQM data in NC-MIPS until Jan. 1, 2019. EPs who would like an early review of requirements, excluding CQMs, will be allowed to submit their attestation in two parts.
Part 1 of the attestation may be submitted between May 1, 2018 and Dec. 31, 2018. It includes demographic, license, patient volume and MU objective data. EPs will not be required to sign or email any documentation for Part 1. The signed attestation packet will be emailed only once—after submission of CQMs.
After Part 1 is submitted on NC-MIPS, program staff will conduct validations. Program staff will notify EPs of any discrepancies, giving EPs ample time to address any issues.
After Part 1 is validated, EPs may return Jan. 1, 2019 through April 30, 2019, to submit their CQM data on NC-MIPS. After submitting that information on NC-MIPS, providers will email the signed attestation packet and CQM report from the EP’s EHR to NCMedicaid.HIT@dhhs.nc.gov to complete Part 2 of the attestation.
Providers may complete a Program Year 2018 attestation through April 30, 2019, but if submitted after Feb. 28, 2019, review by program staff prior to close of NC-MIPS is not guaranteed.
Note: This process does not increase or reduce the information being submitted, but allows EPs to complete their attestation in a 12-month window instead of four months.
EPs who attested in NC-MIPS in a previous year will be automatically directed to the appropriate page in NC-MIPS. EPs who attested with another state should email NCMedicaid.HIT@dhhs.nc.gov prior to attesting for Program Year 2018.
For those practices unsure if a new provider can participate in the NC Medicaid EHR Incentive Program in Program Year 2018, please email the provider’s NPI to NCMedicaid.HIT@dhhs.nc.gov and program staff will determine if the provider previously attested with another practice. As a reminder, EPs must have successfully participated in a Medicaid EHR Incentive Program at least once before the end of Program Year 2016 to be able to participate in Program Years 2017 to 2021.
Visit the program website for more information.