Deadline extended for attesting to meaningful use in EHR incentive program

The CMS is extending the deadline for physicians and other eligible professionals to attest to meaningful use for the Medicare EHR incentive program for the 2013 reporting year. Some hospitals, meanwhile, will get a second chance to get paid for meeting the requirements and relief from the program's penalties.

The new deadline for physicians is 11:59 p.m. March 31, pushed back from Feb. 28.

“This extension will allow more time for providers to submit their meaningful-use data and receive an incentive payment for the 2013 program year, as well as avoid the 2015 payment adjustment,” the CMS said in a news release.

Hospitals that “may have experienced difficulty attesting” by their Nov. 30, 2013 deadline for data submission can submit retroactively. Since the Medicare EHR incentive-payment program for hospitals operates on the fiscal year, the most recent period for them to meet the benchmarks ended Sept. 30, 2013.

Described by the CMS as a “one-time opportunity,” hospitals can avoid the penalties—to be imposed in 2015 for failing to meet the criteria in 2013—and still receive payment under the program. They must contact the CMS for assistance by 11:59 p.m. on March 15, 2014, to participate.

Neither of these new relief provisions affects the Medicaid portion of the EHR incentive payment program.

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