Meaningful Use Is Not Ending. It’s Evolving…

Paul LeBeau, SMART’s VP of Product & Technology

You’ve probably heard that Meaningful Use will be ending in 2016. Meaningful use is not ending and the use of a Certified Health Record will still be required.   Most of the takeaways from the blog posts and news articles don’t tell the whole story. The following should help to give everyone a clear picture of what’s really happening and how it affects your organization.

Andy Slavitt, the Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stated at a January 11th healthcare conference that, “Meaningful Use, as we know it, will be over in 2016.”   “As we know it,” was left out of the headlines and sound bytes.   Those four words indicate that it’s not going away, but rather evolving into something different.

Until now, providers have been eligible for incentive dollars for purchasing and using a certified electronic health record. Beginning in 2017, it’s expected that Meaningful Use will be based upon the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Simply stated, providers will be incentivized with reimbursement based on outcomes. The new system is going to require use of a certified health record. In fact, the last stage of requirements for certification, ONC 2015, is being finalized now and will be valid through calendar year 2019.