The attestation deadline for the 2016 reporting period under the CMS EHR Incentive Program remains February 28, 2017. (In prior years, attestation has been extended, but no such decision has been announced by CMS to date.)
Eligible providers must attest meaningful use for a minimum of any consecutive 90 days in 2016. Providers will attest under the modified Stage 2 Meaningful Use rules. For details on 2016 program requirements, visit this page on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website.
Providers participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program must attest using the CMS Registration and Attestation system by February 28, 2017, at 11:59 p.m. in order to avoid a negative payment adjustment in 2018.
Providers participating in the Medicaid incentive program, please follow instructions and deadlines from your state.
NextGen Healthcare clients participating in the meaningful use programs should have identified a 90-day period in 2016 and run reports using NextGen® Health Quality Measures (NextGen HQM) for all meaningful use objectives and clinical quality measures.
NextGen Healthcare encourages clients to attest before the deadline and not wait until the last day in order to avoid CMS system issues or other factors that could impede successful attestation.
Payment Adjustments and Hardship Exceptions
In January 2018, CMS will begin to apply payment adjustments for providers eligible for the EHR Incentive Program who did not successfully demonstrate meaningful use of EHR technology or apply for and receive a hardship exception for the 2016 program year. CMS will send a separate announcement with more information on the hardship exception application process, once available.
For questions about the Registration and Attestation System, contact the CMS EHR Information Center at 1-888-734-6433 (press option 1). The EHR Information Center is open Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST, except federal holidays.