CMS Extends 2015 Meaningful Use Hardship Exception Deadline

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the deadline for hardship exception applications to July 1, 2016. To avoid 2017 Medicare EHR Incentive Program penalties, members who might not meet the 2015 meaningful use requirements should immediately apply for the “extreme and uncontrollable circumstances” hardship exception since there was no time to plan for the revised program requirements.

Doctors—both attesting and not attesting to 2015 meaningful use—should consider applying for this exception in the event they fail attestation to avoid the 3 percent penalty on all Medicare medical eye care claims. 

In October 2015, CMS posted the Stage 2 Meaningful Use Program Final Rule after doctors began the presumed 90-day reporting period. In other words, there was no time to prepare to meet the requirements for 90 days when the revised requirements were not provided until fewer than 90 days remained in the year.

In FAQs posted in February, CMS clarified that the hardship exception for “extreme and uncontrollable circumstances” could be used for issues related to this delay to avoid the 2017 penalty. Members may want to read the CMS FAQs for themselves on the qualifications for the hardship exception:
Click here for the FAQ on final rule publication timing. Click here for the FAQ on the documentation requirement.

Members can apply for the “extreme and uncontrollable circumstances” hardship exception by selecting section 2.2d when completing the 2017 Medicare EHR Incentive Program Payment Adjustment Hardship Exception Application. For more on the exception, see the CMS “Payment Adjustments & Hardship Information” page.

Return on dues investment: Eligible doctors who are awarded a hardship exception will avoid a 3 percent reduction on reimbursements for 2017 Medicare claims: total Medicare claims billed minus 3 percent equals ROI.