Here we go again?!
It looks like another change from a full-year to 90-day meaningful use (MU) reporting period may be coming, as was the case in 2014 and again in 2015.
Currently, only first-time meaningful users are eligible for a 90-days MU reporting period in 2016. However, Senators Rob Portman (R, OH) and Michael Bennet (D, CO), along with U.S. Reps. Renee Ellmers (R, NC), Tom Price (R, GA), Bobby Rush (D, IL), and Ron Kind (D, WI), have introduced the Flexibility in Electronic Health Record Reporting Act, which would require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to change the current full-year 2016 MU reporting period to 90-days for all participating providers.
The introduction of this legislation follows concerted lobbying by the provider community. Last month, a coalition of 34 providers groups collaborated to send a letter to CMS, asking the agency to “allow participants to report on any 90-day period in 2016, as was the policy in 2015…because doing so will continue the significant progress providers are making to harness the use of technology to succeed in new payment and care delivery models.”
Despite the bipartisan support for this bill, it is difficult to predict whether it will pass into law (or whether CMS will simply make the change on its own), due in part to a limited legislative calendar. (See here and here for more details.)
Impact for NextGen Healthcare clients:
As stated above, it is not possible to accurately predict the outcome of this effort. The ultimate outcome could hinge on what changes CMS proposes to make to meaningful use rules as part of the anticipated MACRA implementation rule. NextGen Healthcare will closely monitor developments and notify clients if and when relevant changes occur. In the meantime, it is essential to continue following the current 2016 MU timeline, which includes a full-year reporting period for all returning participants.