You could face harsher requirements, including prepayment review and minimizing exemptions, to verify meaningful use for CMS’ Electronic Health Records (EHR) system Incentive Programs.
CMS now essentially "takes providers' word" for following all meaningful use requirements and only does a cursory check before mailing the bonuses (PBN 8/9/11).
The Government Accounting Office (GAO) is urging CMS to adopt stricter standards, such as pre- and post-payment reviews, to ensure providers are meeting the meaningful use reporting requirements for both the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the agency announced in an late-April report on the programs’ first year success. Medicaid programs in at least four states already use these methods, the report states.
CMS responded, in the report, and said it will “evaluate how effectively its Medicare EHR program audit strategy reduces the risk of improper EHR incentive payments.” However, there is no set deadline as to when the audits will take place.
The GAO also recommended that CMS distribute Medicaid meaningful use bonuses, as it does for Medicare, instead of the state-run programs as well as collect data on the states’ behalf. CMS balked at the suggestion saying that doing so would create more confusion among program participants.
Read the full GAO report here.