On October 14, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a final rule to implement key provisions of the bipartisan Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) in a new program called the Quality Payment Program. The Program advances Medicare’s value-based transformation for hundreds of thousands of physicians and other eligible clinicians by tying these payments to quality patient care. A number of the provisions in MACRA directly relate to the use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology and health information technology (health IT), including the Advancing Care Information performance category under the Quality Payment Program. The Advancing Care Information category will modernize, streamline, and replace the Medicare EHR Incentive Program for eligible professionals (also known as “Meaningful Use”). The Quality Payment Program advances the use of certified EHRs and health IT as tools to improve the flow of health information among clinicians and, ultimately, improve the quality of care provided to patients.
FACT SHEET: Quality Payment Program and Health Information Technology
(Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology)