In order for an eligible provider (EP) to receive the Medicare EHR incentive payment for 2014 Stage 1, the provider must:

1. Determine eligibility to participate in the Medicare and/or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.  Use the eHealth Eligibility Assessment Tool.
2. Prepare for registration.  Use the CMS EHR Incentive Programs Registration, Attestation, & PECOS Checklist.
3. Request the "CMS EHR Certification ID" for SOAPware.
4. Register for the Meaningful Use incentive program. See: Registration User Guide for Eligible Professionals.
5. Meet the Meaningful Use criteria using SOAPware version 7.0.2 or later.
6. Attest to Meaningful Use following completion of your reporting period.  See: Attestation User Guide for Eligible Professionals.
7. Keep supporting documentation in case of an audit.  See: EHR Incentive Programs Supporting Documentation for Audits.

Continue to report on Meaningful Use each year to avoid Medicare payment adjustments.

The table displayed above shows the progression of Meaningful Use stages that an eligible Medicare provider would complete based upon their first year of MU attestation. Notice that all providers will complete, at minimum, two years of Stage 1 criteria before beginning Stage 2 criteria regardless of the year that they first begin attestation.

In a providers first year of participation, they must complete meaningful use requirements for a 90-day EHR reporting period. In all subsequent years, eligible providers will complete meaningful use requirements for a full calendar year, except in 2014.

In 2014, all eligible providers, regardless of their stage of Meaningful Use, will only be required to demonstrate Meaningful Use for a 3 month reporting period. Medicare providers will demonstrate Meaningful Use over a 3 month reporting period that is fixed to the calendar year quarter in order to align with existing CMS quality measurement programs. The 3 month reporting period will not be fixed to the calendar year for Medicaid eligible providers that are only eligible to receive Medicaid EHR incentives.

To meet the 2014 Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria, eligible providers must meet 13 core objectives and 5 menu objectives that they select from a total list of 9, or a total of 18 core objectives.

These core and menu set objectives are listed below. For more information on these measures, please see the CMS Stage 1 Eligible Professional Meaningful Use Core and Menu Measures Table of Contents.

The first set of 13 requirements presented in this Roadmap are all required for Meaningful Use. The core objectives include:

1. Computerized Provider Order Entry for Medication Orders
2. Drug-Drug and Drug-Allergy Ineraction Checking
3. Maintain Problem List
4. ePrescribing (eRx)
5. Active Medication List
6. Medication Allergy List
7. Record Demographics
8. Record Vital Signs
9. Record Smoking Status
10. Clinical Decision Support Rule
11. Patient Electronic Access - View, Download, and Transmit
12. Clincal Summaries
13. Protect Electronic Health Information

The second set of 9 requirements presented in this Roadmap allow you to choose 5 out of the 9 requirements. The menu set objectives include:

1. Implement Drug-Formulary Checks
2. Clinical Lab Test Results
3. Patient Lists
4. Patient Reminders
5. Patient Education
6. Medication Reconciliation
7. Transition of Care Summary
8. Immunization Registries Data Submission
9. Submit Electronic Data on Reportable Diseases

Eligible professionals are required to report on clinical quality measures (CQMs) during each year of participation in order to receive an incentive. Visit the CMS Clinical Quality Measures Basics page to learn more about the options for CQM submission in 2014.  Visit the SOAPware Clinical Quality Measure Roadmap for information on documentation requirements and workflows.

SOAPware version 7.0.2 and later are the only versions of SOAPware that are certified for Meaningful Use 2014 requirements. Versions prior to this cannot be used to qualify for Meaningful Use 2014.

SOAPware, Inc. cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of the information presented herein. independent research and verification of all information is necessary to ensure compliance with all the Meaningful Use requirements.