Cerner, Epic become CMS EHR Test participants

Cerner and Epic Systems have joined iPatientCare as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Designated Test EHR Program participants, which in the past have also included Meditech and McKesson. Since the Test EHR Program was launched just over a year ago, over 4,000 providers have registered to conduct tests and more than 5,000 have successfully attested to the transition of care Meaningful Use (MU) core objective.

The MU Stage 2's transition of care objective, measure #3, requires eligible professionals and eligible hospitals/critical access hospitals to either:

• Conduct one or more successful electronic exchanges of a summary of care document, with a recipient who has EHR technology designed by a different EHR developer than the sender's.

Or

• Conduct one or more successful tests with the CMS designated test EHR during the EHR reporting period via the Test EHR Program.

The preferred method is for providers seeking to attest to measure #3--the exchange of a summary of care record with a provider using an EHR from a different technology developer. The Test EHR is available as a last resort option to meet this measure if the first option cannot be met. This summary of care exchange requirement can be met during anytime in the reporting year and does not have to occur within the actual reporting period.

In December 2014, CMS released an updated FAQ that offered measure #3 to providers who were not able to meet the MU Stage 2 transition of care objective. This could be done through either of the two options above and offers the opportunity to retain and submit documentation for attestation explaining their circumstances.