2018 Program Requirements Medicare

Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program

Medicare eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals (CAHs), and dual-eligible hospital will still report on Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program requirements in 2018. On August 14, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System Final Rule, which contains several changes that will directly affect the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

Note: Medicare eligible hospitals, CAHs, and dual-eligible hospitals who attest to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may attest to Modified Stage 2 or Stage 3 objectives and measures utilizing the thresholds finalized in the 2017 Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS)/Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC) final rule.

To access the 2018 Modified Stage 2 program requirements and information specific to eligible hospitals, CAHs, and dual-eligible hospitals, click here.

To access the 2018 Stage 3 program requirements and information specific to eligible hospitals, CAHs, and dual-eligible hospitals, click here.

Medicare Attestation Worksheets for 2018

The Medicare Attestation Worksheets allow providers to log their meaningful use measures on a document to use as a reference when attesting for the Medicare PI Program in CMS’ Registration and Attestation system. Access the 2018 Eligible Hospital, CAH and Dual-Eligible Modified Stage 2 Attestation Worksheet here (PDF) and Eligible Hospital, CAH and Dual-Eligible Stage 3 Attestation Worksheet here (PDF).

Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) 

On November 4, 2016, CMS published the Medicare Program; Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused Payment Models final rule with comment period (CMS-5517-FC) which establishes MIPS, a new program for certain Medicare-enrolled practitioners. MIPS consolidates components of three existing programs, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Physician Value-based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare EHR Incentive Program for EPs, and focuses on quality--both a set of evidence-based, specialty-specific standards as well as practice based improvement activities; cost; and use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT) to support interoperability and advanced quality objectives in a single, cohesive program that avoids redundancies.

Note: Medicare EPs will attest to the PI performance category under MIPS.