Promoting Interoperability Programs

About the Promoting Interoperability Program

In 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs to encourage eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to adopt, implement, upgrade, and demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT).

To continue a commitment to promoting and prioritizing interoperability and exchange of health care data, CMS renamed the EHR Incentive Programs to the Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Programs in April 2018. This change moved the programs beyond the existing requirements of meaningful use to a new phase of EHR measurement with an increased focus on interoperability and improving patient access to health information.

Beginning in calendar year (CY) 2022, the Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program ended. The program is currently known as the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program for eligible hospitals and CAHs. For additional details about the end of the Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program, please contact your state Medicaid agency or review the FY 2019 IPPS and LTCH final rule (83 FR 41676 through 41677).

For more information on participant requirements, including ongoing deadlines, visit the Program Requirements page. The Requirements pages outline program specifics for each year.

All Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program resources and materials can be found in the Resource Library.

Latest News

• On August 1, 2024, CMS released On August 1, 2024, CMS issued the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) final rule.
• The Hardship Exception application period for calendar year 2023 is now open. The applications close on August 31, 2024 for eligible hospitals and November 30, 2024 for CAHs. For more information, you can reference the Hardship Exception Fact Sheet (PDF).
• The calendar year (CY) 2024 EHR reporting period began on January 1, 2024, and closes on December 31, 2024. Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program participants may begin reporting and attesting their CY 2024 data in January 2025.

Stay up to date on the latest Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program news and updates by following us on social media and subscribing to the CMS Promoting Interoperability Programs Listserv.

Contact Information

• For information regarding the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program and Hardship Exception Process, please submit questions to the QualityNet Question and Answer Site at https://cmsqualitysupport.servicenowservices.com/qnet_qa?id=ask_a_question or (844) 472-4477.
• For information about the Hospital Quality Reporting (HQR) System, including user roles, reports, data upload, and troubleshooting error messages, please submit questions to the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) Service Center at QnetSupport@cms.hhs.gov or (866) 288-8912. 
• For information regarding the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program, Extraordinary Circumstances Exceptions process, and electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) reporting, please submit questions to the QualityNet Question and Answer Site at https://cmsqualitysupport.servicenowservices.com/qnet_qa?id=ask_a_question or (844) 472-4477.
• Medicare Eligible Professionals are now considered MIPS eligible clinicians and are part of the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Contact the QPP help desk for assistance at QPP@cms.hhs.gov or (866) 288-8292. To submit a ticket for the QPP Service Center, please visit https://cmsqualitysupport.servicenowservices.com/ccsq_support_central.