CMS extends comment period on quality reporting and certification of electronic health records. As first outlined in the request for information, which was posted on the Federal Register on
Dec. 31, 2015, CMS and ONC seek public comment on several items related to the certification of health information technology. Certification Frequency and
Requirements for the Reporting of Quality Measures under CMS Programs has now been extended until February 16, 2016.
These include EHR products used for reporting to the EHR incentive programs and certain CMS quality reporting programs such as but not limited to the
Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program and the Physician Quality Reporting System. CMS and ONC want industry perspective how often to require
recertification, the number of clinical quality measures a certified health IT module should be required to certify and ways to improve testing of certified health IT
The feedback will help inform CMS and ONC about what factors may need to be considered for future rules relating to the reporting of quality measures under
CMS programs. The two agencies note the request for information is part of the effort of CMS to streamline and reduce the burden around government
requirements for eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals and health IT developers. Source: Healthcare IT News, Feb 01, 2016
