At the Forefront of Healthcare Transformation 

 ILHITREC Interchange Newsletter 
September 2019
 
 
Input appreciated  
on the 2019 Illinois  
Health IT Survey    
 
Illinois is updating the state of Health IT and appreciates your input on the 2019 Health IT Survey. We need your input about Health IT in Illinois which is critical to determining the extent of health information technology use by providers and hospitals in Illinois. 
Survey topics include EHR adoption, utilization and functionality, as well as Health Information Exchange participation.    
 
The results will help with current and future support and resources for providers, practices and hospitals in Illinois.  Your participation is invaluable to the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid (CMS), the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), and the Illinois (ILHITREC)  and Chicago (CHITREC) Health IT Regional Extension Centers.

Please complete this 5-10 minute 2019 Illinois Health IT Survey to help inform the health information technology environment in Illinois. We appreciate your participation!
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Stage 3 Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program Checklist 
 
ILHITREC's Clinical Informatics Specialists have compiled a helpful checklist for providers to reference as you prepare for Stage 3. The Checklist contains important links to websites and e-mail addresses to help you work through the process. 

A printable PDF of the Checklist is available on ILHITREC's website.  
   
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Register Today for  
"We're Glad You Asked:  
2019 Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Attestation"
Webinar: Tuesday, Sept. 24, noon-1 pm (CDT)  
 
Join ILHITREC's Brenda Simms and HFS's Mecky Lang as they discuss tips and requirements for successful 2019 Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Attestation. The topics will include questions that we receive regarding attestations as well as documents that are required to be uploaded with an EP attestation.
 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation to join the Webinar.
 
If you missed ILHITREC's other recent Webinars in the Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program series, visit ILHITREC's Webinar page for recording replays and PDF materials.    
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Prescription Monitoring Program Funding Assistance Offered  
The Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program is offering potential funding assistance to get your EHR integrated with the PMPnow feature.  
PMP now allows you to access the PMP data in your workflow within your Electronic Health Record. This integration is required under Illinois State Statute by January 2021, and is part of the Stage 3 objectives for the Medicaid Promoting Interoperability program. Your EHR software will need to configure a connection by November 2019, per the grant period. This funding can assist you with getting connected quickly, save you time, and potentially money.   If you are interested in discussing this possibility further, contact the Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program office at (217) 524-8300.
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 Helpful Stage 3 Resources on ILHITREC Website   
 
Visit ILHITREC's website for important up-to-date resources about the Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program measures and objectives related to Stage 3.

In addition to pages about the PI Program and Stage 3 measures, Objectives 1-8 each have a page dedicated to explaining the requirements and providing additional resources.
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2015 Edition CEHRT is Required in Program Year 2019  
 
 
Beginning this year, all Promoting Interoperability Program participants must use 2015 Edition certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) to
avoid downward Medicaid and Medicare payment adjustments.  
 
CMS believes these up-to-date standards and functions of 2015 Edition CEHRT will better support interoperable exchange of health information and improve clinical workflows.  
 
2019 CEHRT Requirements
  • The 2015 Edition CEHRT did not need to be in place by Jan. 1, 2019, but must be used for the entire EHR reporting period of any continuous, self-selected 90-day period.
  • The 2015 Edition CEHRT functionality must be in place by the first day of the EHR reporting period and the product must be certified to the 2015 Edition criteria by the last day of the EHR reporting period.
Attestation Statements
In addition to using the 2015 Edition CEHRT, participants must attest to certain statements to demonstrate that they have not knowingly and willfully taken action to limit or restrict the compatibility or interoperability of their CEHRT. These statements are referred to as the "prevention of information blocking attestation." For more details on information blocking, review this fact sheet.
For more information,about 2015 Edition CEHRT requirements, review this fact sheet. Additional information on 2019 program requirements can be found on the Promoting Interoperability Programs website.
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National Health IT Week Sept. 23-27, 2019

The Illinois Health IT Regional Extension Center (ILHITREC) is a partner of the nationwide action week focused on catalyzing change within the U.S. health system through the application of information and technology. There is no better time for the health IT community to come together and take action to transform health in the U.S. and around the globe.Visit the Health IT website for more details. 
   
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Webinar Replays Offer Critical Information on PI Program 
 
If you missed ILHITREC's recent Webinars about the Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program Measures,  you can listen to the recordings or download the PowerPoint Presentations in PDF format. Webinars include: "2019 Patient Electronic Access & Patient Education" (4/17/19); "2019 Coordination of Care through Patient Engagement" (5/14/19); "2019 Health Information Exchange Objective" (6/11/19) and "Registry Reporting Objective Public Health & Clinical Data" (7/16/19). Visit ILHITREC's Webinar page for replays and printable PDFs. 
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Updated 2019 Medicaid Specification Sheets
 
CMS has updated its Promoting Interoperability Programs webpages to include program year 2019 information and details:
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Submit Patient Volume for Pre-Approval  
for Medicaid EHR Program Year 2019  
 
ILHITREC encourages Illinois providers participating in the eMIPP program to submit patient volume for pre-approval for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program for the 2019 Program Year as soon as possible to avoid any delays in attestation. Use the format below to provide the following information via email to   hfs.ehrincentive@illinois.gov:
  • Payee TIN = _________________
  • Payee NPI __________________
  • Group or individual numbers?  _______________
  • Provider type:  (physician, hospital, dentist)  _________________
  • Selecting a Date Range: (Select Calendar Year 2018 only for Pre-Approval)
     - Date Range: Calendar Year, any 90-day period in 2018 ___________
     - Can not use the same date or overlap date used for Attestation Year 2018
  • Straight Medicaid (only traditional Medicaid & All Kids) = _______________
  • Medicaid Managed Care = ________________
  • Total Encounters for all payees = ________________
Primary Contact:
Primary Phone:
Primary Email: 
 
Please note that ILHITREC's Clinical Informatics Specialists are trained to assist you with any questions or concerns related to the EHR Incentive Programs. Contact us at  info@ILHITREC.org or visit ILHITREC.org for complete details on the wide variety of services provided by ILHITREC. 
 
About Support Provided by ILHITREC
The Illinois Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (ILHITREC), under contract with the Illinois Department of Health and Family Services (HFS), is providing education, outreach, EHR, and Meaningful Use support to Medicaid providers for the Promoting Interoperability Program. Contact us at info@ILHITREC.org.