At the Forefront of Healthcare Transformation 



ILHITREC 
Interchange
Newsletter
July 2021
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New Information on the Security Risk Analysis Objective 
for 2021 Medicaid PI Attestations

The Security Risk Analysis (SRA) Objective Requirements:
  • SRA must be uploaded into the documents section in eMIPP under the SRA category in a pdf format only.
  • SRA should still cover the entire year retrospectively from the beginning of the year to the point of analysis and prospectively from the point of analysis to the end of the year.
  • Providers have the option to wait to upload their SRA by the end of the year if they choose to and still attest by the deadline.
  • Please read the choices carefully as shown below in the screenshot of whether you need to attest Yes or No.
    • Yes = If you answer Yes, then the SRA must be uploaded with the attestation.
    • No = The SRA must be uploaded prior to the December 31st, 2021 deadline. 
  • Providers can receive payment before their SRA is uploaded if they meet all other program requirements.
  • If the SRA is not uploaded by 12/31/2021 it will result in an automatic audit of payment.

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More outreach on 
info blocking compliance 
high on ONC's to-do list

Although the state of the pandemic has been looking better in the United States recently, National Coordinator for Health IT Micky Tripathi says we're not out of the woods yet.

But technology can help ensure a more seamless response moving forward, he said. One job for inter-agency task forces, he noted, will be considering: "What are the challenges we experienced in the pandemic? What are those gaps, and how do we characterize them, and what does that say about the investments we should make in the future?"

During a presentation at the DirectTrust Summit 2021 this week, Tripathi recognized the leaps and bounds the country has achieved when it comes to data-sharing and interoperability and outlined the goals his agency has for keeping up the momentum.

"We've really in a very short time - but with a lot of money and a lot of blood, sweat and tears - we've gotten that foundation laid" for modernizing the country's health system, he said.  Now, "we need to figure out what we want to do with the foundation," he said.  

One overarching goal will be to make infrastructure available to serve users' immediate needs.  "How does that foundation - the basic health IT systems, interoperability capabilities, the ability to have apps - all of that together, how do we sort of think about that as the portfolio we want to build on?" he said.   
"So that users at the end of the day have a full awareness of the kinds of capabilities that are available to them - so their first instinct isn't to say, 'Let me just fax that, it's a lot easier,'" Tripathi laughed.  

Insofar as the ONC's collective goals go, Tripathi flagged information blocking, TEFCA and inter-agency partnership as three main focuses.  Continue Reading

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HFS Provides Guidance Regarding Implementation of HealthChoice Illinois Admission, Discharge and Transfer (ADT) Platform
HFS released a provider notice offering guidance to ambulatory/community providers regarding the implementation of HealthChoice Illinois ADT.
 
HealthChoice Illinois ADT is HFS' statewide technology platform, to facilitate transmission of HL7 formatted messages from hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and other institutions and notify ambulatory/community providers of patient admissions, discharges and transfers to improve care coordination and quality of care.
 
Illinois providers enrolled in the IMPACT system and engaged in care coordination services for Medicaid customers will be eligible to subscribe to HealthChoice Illinois ADT to receive ADT notifications for their patients. For details, please refer to the HFS Provider Notice.
 
Ambulatory/community providers are asked to complete a short survey to assist HFS in determining provider readiness and technology resources.

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Earn your last payment in the 
Illinois Medicaid PI Program!
We have entered the LAST Attestation Year for the Illinois Medicaid PI Program. The attestation period for the 2021 program year started May 1, 2021 and ends August 31, 2021. The latest possible 90-day EHR reporting period is June 2, 2021 through August 30, 2021.

Medicaid Provider Incentive Payments states that no payment may be made after CY2021. It is for this reason that the attestation periods for the final program year have been condensed. We encourage you to attest early since this is the end of the program and there will not be any extensions. 

For assistance with your final attestation, ILHITREC is ready to help. Please contact us at Info@ILHITREC.org.

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If you missed our webinar:

CMS Primary Care Advanced Alternative Payment Model - Find out how you can participate!


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Please note that ILHITREC's Clinical Informatics Specialists have expertise to assist you with any questions or concerns related to the EHR Incentive Programs. Contact us at info@ILHITREC.org or visit ILHITREC 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.