The changes to the program eliminate 25 measures which ultimately leads to saving hospitals more than 2 million hours of work. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma on Tuesday announced Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has overhauled the meaningful use EHR incentive program, according to an announcement made by Seema Verma, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator. She said that the changes will also allow patients an easy access to their health records when they are discharged from the hospital.

From 2019, all US hospitals are required to have patients’ electronic health records ready on the day they leave the healthcare institution. The proposed rule would further reiterate the requirement for clinicians to utilize the 2015 edition of certified electronic health record technology in 2019. This comes as a segment of demonstrating meaningful use in order to qualify for incentive payments and also avoid deductions from Medicare payments.

Another aspect of the new rule that promotes interoperability is that any updates to EHR and related health It systems would include the utilization of APIs designed for patients to easily collect their medical information from various providers. This will also allow them to potentially incorporate all of their medical data into a single online portal, a mobile application, a specific digital program, or other similar software.

Hospitals will also be allowed to medical data in API format to facilitate the development of apps and similar interfaces.

CMS is also expected to eliminate a significant number of reporting measures that are currently being carried out by healthcare practices. This includes the removal of 19 measures from the programs and de-duplication of another 21 measures. This would result in the elimination of 25 measures across the five programs and save hospitals $75 million and over 2 million work hours.

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