“Even if the final rule came out today, the window of time that CMS is leaving medical groups and vendors to adjust workflows and update systems is both unacceptable and unrealistic,” said Halee Fischer-Wright, MD, president and CEO of MGMA. “Forcing groups and their EHR vendor partners to scramble in a short period of time to meet the Oct. 3 start date for the last reporting period essentially guarantees that a significant number of program participants will fail in 2015. Adding to this challenge is the fact that the industry is facing the transition to ICD-10 on Oct. 1, yet another demanding government initiative.”
The MGMA is recommending that CMS allow medical groups the option to report in the last 90 days of 2015 or the first 90 days of 2016, and that the agency moves to a 90-day reporting period beginning in 2016. The group warns that without having a definitive set of program measures laid out, and sufficient time to incorporate them into practice workflow and EHR software, there could be a massive drop-off in MU participation.
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