Inside This Issue PAGE 1 - Meaningful News Meaningful Use Benefits Patients and Providers PAGE 2 - Meaningful News (continued) New Privacy & Security Site HITEC-LA is Online - Meaningful Tips Still Time to Attest? PAGE 3 October 2012 - Meaningful Tips (continued) Before You Begin your 90 Days During Your 90 Days THE MEANINGFUL USER Helping L.A. County s providers implement EHRs and achieve meaningful use. Meaningful News Volume 2, issue 7 A Project of L.A. Care Health Plan EHR Incentives Continue to Arrive for HITEC-LA Members; Patients Benefiting from Improved Access and Care Across Los Angeles County, providers from all areas and specialties have become members of HITEC-LA and are making significant progress in implementing Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and making gains towards achieving meaningful use. Working with HITEC-LA s team of experts and Service Partners (SPs), many provider members have already achieved meaningful use, been awarded Meaningful Use Vanguard status, and qualified for EHR incentive payments. Please join us in celebrating just a few of our latest members to hit those important milestones: TM PAGE 4 - Meaningful Tips (continued) After 90 Days; What s Next? PAGE 5 - Meaningful Progress HITEC-LA Continues to Grow Membership Updates - Meaningful Help Help Us Improve for You! - About HITEC-LA Dr. Ruben M. Ruiz III of Rosemead Dr. Vachik Shahnazarian of Glendale Dr. Vaijayanti Koldhekar of Duarte More than 800 HITEC-LA Member Providers have already achieved meaningful use in Los Angeles County... join them today! Dr. Savitri Rambhatla of Montebello Dr. Peter Shin & Youngwook Kim of Torrance Dr. Armine Nazaryan of Glendale THE MEANINGFUL USER Page 1
(from P.1) Introducing the Privacy & Security Webpage HITEC-LA understands that HIPAA requirements and EHRs may bring added questions and concerns from providers. In response, we continually strive to inform and educate our members on the latest privacy and security issues, and help direct providers to a variety of available resources for accomplishing their own privacy and security goals. Visit our new webpage at www.hitecla.org/ps to learn more, locate and share information, and access the educational materials and resources that can help you accomplish your own goals today. HITEC-LA is Live in Your Networks.find us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Today! Life is busy. Make sure to keep up on the latest news and stay in touch with us while you re at home or on the go with our Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages! FOLLOW us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hitecla LIKE us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/hitecla JOIN us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups/hitecla-4648376 Meaningful Tips The road to achieving meaningful use can seem long, and each step along the way can come with its own set of challenges, questions and concerns for each provider. HITEC- LA is here to make that journey easier, with qualified experts to help you navigate the best course for your practice, support you throughout implementation, and provide the important information you need every step along the way. Whether you re close to achieving meaningful use or haven t even begun, HITEC-LA is here to help and wants to keep you updated on specifics you should know for the particular situation that you are in: Situation #1: You need to attest to AIU There is still time to qualify for EHR incentives. The Medi-Cal EHR Incentive Program providers who adopt, implement, or upgrade AIU certified electronic health records through 2016 to attest for all six (6) years of incentives equaling $63,750. The Medicare EHR Incentive Program allows eligible providers who implement and document 90-day compliance with meaningful use measures starting in calendar year 2013 to qualify for incentives over four years totaling $39,000. Opportunities to receive subsidized help are coming to an end. HITEC-LA is available to provide subsidized, technical assistance with vendor selection, implementation and meaningful use but only through 2013. Contact us today to see how we can help you! THE MEANINGFUL USER Page 2
(from P.2) How to receive the best EHR terms for your practice. HITEC-LA has pre-researched and vetted a list of advantageous business terms available to members for use with vendor negotiation, and also offers special Preferred EHR Vendor pricing for members with options in the low, medium and higher cost ranges. How to get help submitting for EHR incentive payments. Under the Medi-Cal Incentive Program, registration and attestation to receive your year one incentives for Medi-Cal upgrade (AIU) to certified EHRs can be completed as soon as you have a signed vendor contract (HITEC-LA can help with this). The Medicare Incentive Program requires both a signed vendor contract and documentation showing 90-day meaningful use compliance (HITEC-LA can help with this too). Situation #2: You have received your AIU incentive payment, but have not begun your 90-day meaningful use period It is a good time to take action and get on the right path for future compliance. Contact your assigned HITEC-LA Service Partner so you are able to take advantage of subsidized services (available for a limited time) that will assist you in: - Implementing your EHR - Establishing the proper workflow for your practice - Understanding meaningful use and its requirements - Putting your practice on the right path to attestation - Running weekly compliance reports from your certified EHR - Documenting your 90-day reporting period properly in order to attest to meaningful use and receive your federal incentive payment Situation #3: Your 90-day meaningful use period is underway Your data becomes information; that information becomes action. The process of achieving meaningful use is built in stages, with Stage 1 focusing on the element of data capture. This initial stage lays the foundation for an upcoming exchange of clinical data and robust care coordination. It is a good time to ensure that you are capturing the necessary data to meet Stage 1 requirements. It is important to measure what counts. Your certified EHR system has the capability of measuring the data necessary for successful meaningful use compliance. Make sure your practice begins to run reports on a regular (periodic) schedule to ensure you are capturing data correctly and meeting required thresholds. THE MEANINGFUL USER Page 3
(from P.3) Address deficiencies early to avoid problems in the future. The sooner any reporting deficiencies are detected, the faster you will be able to resolve any issues and avoid future problems. By monitoring with a watchful eye and intervening as problems arise, your medical practice can transform smoothly and effectively while qualifying for meaningful use payments. It is important to retain documentation for potential future audits. Situation #4: As with an income tax return, it is important to remember that your attestation is subject to a post-payment audit for up to six (6) years after attestation. Therefore, it is important to maintain all relevant attestation documentation for that audit period. You have completed your 90-day meaningful use documentation period It is now time to attest! Once you have received compliance reports from your certified EHR provider which document your 90-day reporting period, you will be able to file with the state for successfully attaining meaningful use and receive your federal EHR incentive payment. If you have been working with one of HITEC-LA s Service Partners, continue to do so and they will assist you throughout the meaningful use attestation process. Make sure to stay informed and updated throughout the process. Throughout the attestation process, it will be beneficial to visit the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) website frequently to access weekly webinars for Eligible Professionals (EPs) regarding meaningful use attestation updates and protocols. Remember to prepare your practice for the next steps. For Stage 2 of meaningful use attestation, you will be required to present meaningful use documentation for a period of 365 days (one year). Therefore, it will be important to maintain the practice of regularly monitoring and running reports from your certified EHR to stay on track for the next stage of reporting (and ensure that you don t fall back into old habits). THE MEANINGFUL USER Page 4
(from P.4) Meaningful Progress HITEC-LA continues to work with thousands of health care providers throughout Los Angeles County, and together we are making great progress towards achieving meaningful use and improving patient care. As our momentum continues to grow, our health care delivery system and standard of care are improved for our members, their patients, and the greater community! Take a look at our progress to date: Meaningful Help 4,400+ providers enrolled in HITEC-LA 3,000+ members went live with an EHR 900+ members have achieved meaningful use At HITEC-LA, our goal is to simplify and streamline the EHR implementation process for our members and all health care providers throughout Los Angeles County. How can we make it easier for YOU? Are we doing all we can to support your EHR implementation efforts? Do you have suggestions, questions or comments? We d love to hear them! Please contact us today to share your feedback at or by calling our TOLL-FREE HOTLINE at. Let s keep working together! About HITEC-LA Health Information Technology Extension Center for Los Angeles (HITEC-LA) is the exclusive federally designated Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center for Los Angeles County, charged with helping doctors and primary care providers select, implement, and meaningfully use electronic health records certified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). HITEC-LA helps providers assess their technology needs, as well as offers education, training, and on-site technical assistance. HITEC-LA, a project of L.A. Care Health Plan, is funded by the ONC, Department of Health and Human Services, Award Number: 90RC0052/01. For more information, visit www.hitecla.org. Copyright 2012 HITEC-LA THE MEANINGFUL USER Page 5