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TIPS, TRENDS & NEWS YOU CAN USE

LATEST FINAL RULE ENABLES REPORTING FLEXIBILITY

CMS Eases CEHRT Implementation

By Jeff Grant

In recognizing that many EHR vendors, eligible professionals (EPs) and practices were struggling to have 2014 Edition Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT) implemented in time to complete an EHR incentive program reporting period in 2014, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology recently provided a final rule that enables healthcare providers flexibility in how they attest to CEHRT for the 2014 reporting period. In addition, the recently released final rule extends the deadline for Stage 2 meaningful use (MU) requirements until the end of 2016. This means Stage 3 MU will not start for anyone until 2017.

So, what is this flexibility?

Healthcare professionals now have the option of using the 2011 Edition CEHRT, a combination of the 2011 Edition CEHRT and the 2014 Edition CEHRT, or a 2014 Edition CEHRT for the 2014 reporting period. In addition, the final rules states that if you haven’t been able to “fully implement” a 2014 Edition CEHRT, you could go back to an earlier quarter this year (Q1 or Q2) and attest with your 2011 Edition CEHRT.

Depending on the stage of MU you were scheduled to meet this year and which option applies to you (or which option you choose), you can determine whether you should use Stage 1 2013 Rules (including 2013 CQM’s), Stage 1 2014 Rules (including 2014 CQM’s) or Stage 2 2014 Rules (including 2014 CQM’s) for the 2014 reporting period. (For clarity, see “CEHRT Systems Available For Use in 2014,” on page 12.)

A caveat: This chart pertains to providers who could “not fully implement” 2014 Edition CEHRT for the EHR reporting period in 2014 due to delays in 2014 Edition CEHRT availability, as shown at its bottom. “Not fully implement” means awaiting additional updates to a 2014 CEHRT, new version testing by the EP/practice, staff training, workflow modifications and “issues” with your 2014 Edition CEHRT.

Further, the final rule states that if the EP is using a 2014 Edition CEHRT and was scheduled to meet Stage 2 MU this year, but is unable to meet the measure of providing an electronic summary of care upon transition of care due an inability to get DIRECT e-mail addresses from some of the providers to whom they refer patients, he or she is permitted to use Stage 1 2014 rules instead with supporting documentation in the form of a letter or e-mail from the other provider that he or she doesn’t have a direct e-mail.

What this means for O.D.s: the Final Rule probably allows you to “roll back” to a previous version and to use a previous stage.

Mr. Grant is president & founder, Healthcare Management & Automation Systems, Inc.

Essilor Creates Eye Health Information App

Essilor of America has developed the AskAboutEyes app to enable consumers to anonymously access pertinent information about their eyes before visiting an ECP.

To provide comprehensive content, Essilor joined forces with AllAboutVision.com and Paul Karpecki, O.D., F.A.A.O., who will manage a network of ECPs to ensure app users receive timely and precise answers and advice regarding their eye health, the company says. (Doctors interested in being considered should e-mail AskAboutEyes@essilorusa.com).

“ . . . Many consumers like to feel informed and prepared before meeting with an eyecare professional,” says Essilor of America’s senior vice president of customer development Howard Purcell, O.D., F.A.A.O., Dipl. “The AskAboutEyes app will allow consumers to easily learn more about their options in a convenient way, while helping them find a practitioner who can deliver the expertise they need when making these important healthcare decisions.”

The app, which is not intended as a diagnostic tool or to take the place of the ECP, is expected to launch later this year as a free download on the App Store and Google Play, Essilor of America says.

Researchers Ask: Are You Perceived as Trustworthy?

Although it’s critical for clinicians to gain their patients’ trust, new research in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests our brain’s automatically respond to a face’s trustworthiness before it is consciously perceived.

Specifically, the researchers discovered that specific amygdala regions of the brain showed activity tracking how untrustworthy a face appeared, while other amygdala regions showed activity tracking the trustworthiness signal’s overall strength (be it trustworthy or untrustworthy), despite the fact that the subjects were unable to consciously see any of the series of faces to which they were exposed.

While O.D.s cannot control these snap judgements, research does provide four gestures to avoid if you want to appear trustworthy to patients: crossed arms, face touching, hand touching and leaning backward, reveals a study in Psychological Science.

Specifically, the study’s researchers found that when these gestures were used during a game between two individuals, the receiver of the gestures rated the person who expressed them as less trustworthy vs. when the non-verbal cues weren’t used. Also, an increased frequency in these gestures increased this distrustful feeling by the receiver. The results were the same when a humanoid robot was used to express these non-verbal cues during a conversation with a human participant.

What this means for O.D.s: Be mindful of your gestures. They may affect patients’ wellbeing (distrust in your recommendations) and conversely, your practice’s bottom line.

O.D. Notebook