EHR Requirements for the 2017 CPC+ Program
February 10, 2017
Written by Kristen Schuster, Practice Facilitator
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can be versatile tools to create foundation of your quality improvement efforts or they can be a confusing labyrinth. As much as I love David Bowie let’s leave the labyrinth behind. Please review the EHR functionality you will need to meet the requirements for the 2017 CPC+ reporting year.
- Ensure your practice’s EHR version is 2014 or greater ONC-Certified EHR technology
- Verify EHR can report eCQMs for the entire 12 month reporting period
- Patient Portal
- eSecure Messaging
- Track 2-Work with vendor for alternate visit types(telemedicine)
- Track 2– Develop care plans within the EHR
- You will need to upgrade your EHR to the 2015 version BEFORE January 2018
- 24 hour access to patient data(mobile EHR, remote logins, covering provider with electronic access, etc.)
If your practice is considering switching EHRs please let you Practice Facilitator know immediately.
It is good practice to identify workflows on measures that are performing well in addition to the measures that are falling below the national benchmark. Discuss workflow with staff members to create an efficient workflow that will ensure the most accurate data is being collected.
Some tips for effective use of your EHR and its data:
- Use standard documentation to communicate EHR information for referrals and transition of care documents (i.e. Continuity of care documents containing medications, problem list, allergies, etc.
- Structure workflow to input non-structured data received from external sources (faxes, emails, etc.) in to the EHR in a structure format
- Verify all providers and staff understand the workflow and electronic data entry needed for each eCQM and validate/audit the data/reports regularly
If you would like to share or learn more about best practices please feel free to contact me or share your ideas on CPC+ Connect. We are in the process of setting up regional pages for both MT and HI in the CPC+ Connect Portal and will let you know when that is complete. You can use CPC+ Connect to identify practices utilizing the same technology and perhaps share and get best practices, EHR specific workflows, and share tips and tricks.
As always, complete CPC+ information from CMS can be found on the CPC+ Connect Portal. We encourage you to access the portal and check out all available CMS CPC+ resources.
If you have any questions, or run into issues with any of the CPC+ objectives and would like help please use the “Leave a Reply” section below, or email Kristen Schuster directly with your questions or comments.
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