Promoting Interoperability Programs
Latest News
- On April 18, 2022 CMS released the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System for Acute Care Hospitals and Long-term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule. For more information on the proposed changes, visit the Federal Register or view the PDF document here.
- Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program Participants: December 31, 2021 was the final day that states could make Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program payments to Medicaid eligible professionals (EPs) and hospitals. For additional details about the end of the Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program, please contact your state Medicaid agency or review the FY 2019 IPPS and LTCH final rule (83 FR 41676 through 41677).
Dates to Remember
| January 1 - December 31, 2022 |
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2022 Promoting Interoperability Programs Reporting Year |
| June 17, 2022 |
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Comments on the FY 2023 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System for Acute Care Hospitals and Long-term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System are due. |
| September 1, 2022 |
| Deadline for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals to submit a Hardship Exception application for reporting year 2021. |
History of the Promoting Interoperability Programs
In 2011, CMS established the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs (now known as the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program) to encourage EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs to adopt, implement, upgrade, and demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT).
Historically, the Promoting Interoperability Programs consisted of three stages (PDF):
- Stage 1 set the foundation for the Promoting Interoperability Programs by establishing requirements for the electronic capture of clinical data, including providing patients with electronic copies of health information.
- Stage 2 expanded upon the Stage 1 criteria with a focus on advancing clinical processes and ensuring that the meaningful use of EHRs supported the aims and priorities of the National Quality Strategy. Stage 2 criteria encouraged the use of CEHRT for continuous quality improvement at the point of care and the exchange of information in the most structured format possible.
- In October 2015, CMS released a final rule that established Stage 3 in 2017 and beyond, which focused on using CEHRT to improve health outcomes. In addition, this rule modified Stage 2 to ease reporting requirements and align with other CMS programs.
For more information, visit the Requirements for Previous Years page.
To continue our commitment to promoting and prioritizing interoperability and exchange of health care data, CMS renamed the EHR Incentive Programs to the Promoting Interoperability Programs in April 2018. This change moved the programs beyond the existing requirements of meaningful use to a new phase of EHR measurement with an increased focus on interoperability and improving patient access to health information.
Use the navigation bar on the left side of the website to learn more about the Promoting Interoperability Programs, including program requirements for specific years, registration and attestation information, payment adjustment & hardship exceptions, clinical quality measures and more.
You can also stay up to date on the latest Promoting Interoperability Program news and updates by following us on Twitter and by subscribing to the CMS Promoting Interoperability Programs Listserv.
Contact Information
- Medicare eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals participating in the Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Programs may contact the QualityNet help desk for assistance at [email protected] or 1-866-288-8912.
- Medicare EPs are now considered eligible clinicians and are part of the Quality Payment Program. Contact the Quality Payment Program help desk for assistance at [email protected] or 1-866-288-8292.