Days after Ellmers’ Bill to Alleviate Meaningful Use Penalties is Introduced,
CMS Website Malfunctions Cause Further Problems for Health Providers

WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC-02) released the following excerpts from her letter to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner this afternoon:

“We hope this oversight can be quickly and effectively addressed by CMS.  As such, we request an administrative delay in the Oct 1, 2014, deadline for those attempting to attest for the first time in 2014.”

“Furthermore, we urge you to take immediate action by shortening the 2015 EHR reporting period to 90 days. In light of the respite your agency granted itself, it is only fair to afford the nation’s healthcare providers with equal flexibility to meet the Stage 2 requirements.”

“HHS must lead by example and recognize that additional time is vitally important to ensure that hospitals and physicians continue moving forward with technology to improve patient care as incentivized in the Meaningful Use Program. Given that we have less than two weeks left in Fiscal Year 2014, immediate attention to these concerns is urgently needed.”

On Tuesday, Congresswoman Renee Ellmers introduced H.R. 5481 - The Flexibility in Health IT Reporting (Flex-IT) Act of 2014. This important legislation would ensure that health care providers receive the flexibility they need to successfully comply with HHS’ Meaningful Use Program. The Flex-IT Act will allow providers to report their Health IT upgrades in 2015 through a 90-day reporting period as opposed to a full year. 

Yesterday afternoon, Politico Pro reported on a new glitch to the CMS system and how it could cost doctors millions of dollars, even if they report through to the Meaningful Use Program on time:

Physicians who just spent hundreds of millions of dollars to install new electronic health record systems will face millions in federal penalties due to a technical glitch that affects their compliance with a federal program, vendors and doctors say.

“It’s beyond understanding why we’d be penalized after making such an investment,” said Dr. Jonathan Lowry, an eye specialist and surgeon at Morganton Eye Physicians in western North Carolina. “This was not our fault.”…

But physicians who went electronic for the first time this year are discovering that CMS won’t be ready to officially register the evidence of their work until mid-October. That means they will miss the Oct. 1 deadline, and CMS will withold 1 percent of their 2015 Medicare payments.

Click here to view the letter from Congresswoman Ellmers and Congressman Matheson to CMS Administrator Tavenner.

Click here to view H.R. 5481 - The Flexibility in Health IT Reporting (Flex-IT) Act of 2014.

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Congresswoman Renee Ellmers serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is

Chairwoman of the Republican Women’s Policy Committee.

She represents the Second District of North Carolina which includes all of Fort Bragg.