Services help organizations use electronic health records, earn incentive payments and avoid Medicare penalties
Madison, Wisconsin — MetaStar has been awarded a two-year grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to provide free expert assistance to Medicaid-enrolled health care providers as they adopt, implement, upgrade and meaningfully use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has set specific objectives and standards that eligible professionals and hospitals must achieve in order to achieve meaningful use of EHRs. Those who do not meet these standards face reductions in their Medicare reimbursements.
MetaStar established the federally designated Wisconsin Health Information Technology Extension Center (WHITEC) in 2010 and has already helped more than 1,300 primary care providers achieve meaningful use Stage 1, the first phase of meeting established standards. The new Medicaid Health IT Extension Program builds upon this success and will support up to 1,200 additional Medicaid-enrolled health care providers in the state, including specialists. MetaStar can assist providers participating in either the Medicaid or Medicare EHR Incentive Program.
MetaStar’s assistance under the program includes:
- Vendor-neutral EHR selection and implementation guidance
- Meaningful use education and consulting, including readiness assessments, audit preparation and more
- Public Health objective assistance
- HIPAA security risk assessments
- Workflow optimization
“This is a fantastic opportunity for organizations to take advantage of all we’ve learned over the past five years about meeting meaningful use standards,” said Stacey Novogoratz, program manager. “With the continued shift toward pay for quality over quantity of health care, it’s important to get up to speed now on using EHRs to improve patient care.”
MetaStar, Inc. is a nonprofit organization with a vision of optimal health for all. MetaStar collaborates with health care payers and providers to effect positive change in the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care. MetaStar also offers consulting services to improve the quality of health care, specializing in the implementation and understanding of government and legislative initiatives. Learn more at www.metastar.com.