Kentucky REC annual conference
Dec. 2, 2021
Kentucky REC will host its first hybrid event giving participants the option to attend in person or virtually.
Quality initiatives, HIPAA, telehealth and more topics will be discussed to ensure that clinicians, hospital administrators and clinic staff are well prepared for the challenges of modern healthcare. Our valued partners at the Kentucky Health Information Exchange will present and special guest speaker Vitale Buford will conduct a session on overcoming perfectionism.
For more information:
visit the Kentucky REC
Register now to secure your spot.
Contact the REC at Kentucky REC or call (859) 323-3090.
Program Year 2021 Has Concluded
We have reached the deadline for PY 2021 and would like to thank all of the providers who have attested. The final year of the KY Medicaid EHR Incentive Program (Promoting Interoperability) has been a success.
Please be on the lookout for any correspondence regarding your PY 2021 attestation. It is critical that you remain responsive as all attestations must be approved and paid by Dec. 31, 2021. Auditing will continue through 2023.
Program Conclusion Update
For 10 years the KY Medicaid EHR Incentive Program (Promoting Interoperability) has incentivized providers to adopt, implement, upgrade and meaningfully use certified EHR systems. On Jan. 5, 2011 Kentucky became the first state to ;make a payment. More than 5,300 providers have registered to participate and KY Medicaid has made more than 10,300 payments totaling nearly $270.4 million. Our application proved so reliable and dependable that it was shared with other states and territories.
The program officially ends Dec. 31, 2021; however, auditing will continue through 2023.
EHRs and the ability to exchange health information electronically help provide better quality and safer care for patients. Although the KY Medicaid EHR Incentive Program (Promoting Interoperability) will end, we hope EHR systems continue to operate meaningfully.
The Kentucky Health Information Exchange Incentive Opportunities
In collaboration with the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE) is pleased to offer three incentive opportunities to help healthcare facilities with the many challenges and barriers associated with the electronic exchange of health information.
Electronic Laboratory Reporting Incentive Program
KHIE is offering eligible healthcare facilities the opportunity to apply for a $20,000 incentive to offset vendor fees associated with improving or establishing an electronic laboratory reporting interface with the health information exchange.
Applicants must be labs, including labs in hospitals and healthcare facilities, located and/or providing services in Kentucky. Labs also must provide onsite testing and results. Funds may be used to offset technology upgrades or modifications required to establish an interface or ease technical barriers directly related to electronic laboratory reporting. The deadline for this program is May 1, 2022.
ELR Incentive Program Application
Electronic Case Reporting Incentive Program
KHIE is offering eligible healthcare facilities the opportunity to apply for a $10,000 incentive to offset vendor fees associated with implementation of technology to establish an electronic case reporting (eCR) interface with the HIE.
Applicants must be hospitals or healthcare clinics with an ordering facility located and/or providing services in Kentucky. Funds may be used to ease technical barriers or offset costs directly associated with implementation of the technology required to facilitate eCR. The deadline for this program is May 1, 2022.
eCR Incentive Program Application
For more information please contact:
Kentucky Health Information Exchange
8 Mill Creek Park
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 564-7992
Now Available: 2021 Electronic Clinical Quality Measure Flows
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services developed and published the 2021 performance period electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) flows for
eligible professionals/eligible clinicians and
eligible hospitals/critical access hospitals to the
eCQI Resource Center.
The eCQM flows supplement eCQM specifications for potential inclusion in the following programs:
- Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program
- Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Programs
- Quality Payment Program: The Merit-based Incentive Payment System and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs)
- APM: Comprehensive Primary Care Plus
- APM: Primary Care First
These flows are intended to be an additional resource when implementing eCQMs and should not be used in place of the eCQM specification or for reporting purposes. Specific to the eligible hospital/critical access hospital eCQM flows, a Read Me First guide is available to assist users as they navigate the flows.
To report questions or comments on the eCQM flows,
visit the eCQM Issue Tracker.
KHIE Declaration of Readiness: Program Year 2021
The Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE) is the public health authority for meaningful use (Promoting Interoperability) reporting in Kentucky. Kentucky eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals/critical access hospitals (EH/CAHs) that wish to submit to any of the following registries must do so through KHIE. For meaningful use (Promoting Interoperability), KHIE provides support for the following public health and clinical data registry reporting measures:
-
Kentucky Immunization Registry
Any EP or EH/CAH that administers any type of immunization (influenza, pneumococcal, HPV, chickenpox, shingles, etc.) during the EHR reporting period can submit to or query the immunization registry. -
CDC BioSense Syndromic Surveillance
In Kentucky, all EPs or EH/CAHs collect syndromic surveillance data. -
Kentucky Cancer Registry
Any EP that diagnoses and/or treats cancer patients is eligible to submit to the Kentucky Cancer Registry. -
KHIE Advance Directive Registry
In Kentucky any EP or EH/CAH is eligible to submit advance directive documents to the KHIE Advance Directive Registry. -
Kentucky National Electronic Disease Surveillance System
Kentucky recently adopted legislation,
902 KAR 2:020, requiring laboratory results to be reported electronically to KHIE. -
Kentucky Health Information Exchange (Platinum Service)
Any EP or EH/CAH is eligible to use KHIE as a public health measure. -
Electronic Case Reporting
In Kentucky any EP or EH/CAH is eligible to submit case reporting of reportable conditions to the Electronic Case Reporting Registry.
KHIE supports public health reporting data submission from ONC 2014 certified electronic health record technology (CEHRT) and ONC 2015 CEHRT. To register your intent to submit to any of these registries, contact the KHIE outreach coordinator for your region.
Guidance on Allowance of Telehealth Encounters in eCQMs Now Available
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted guidance on the use of telehealth encounters for the eligible professional and eligible clinician electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs) used in CMS quality reporting programs for the 2020 and 2021 performance periods. Guidance applies to eCQMs used in each of the following programs:
- Quality Payment Program: The Merit-based Incentive Payment
- System and Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs)
- APM: Comprehensive Primary Care Plus
- APM: Primary Care First
- Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program for Eligible Professionals
For the 2020 performance period, the majority of the eligible professional/eligible clinician eCQMs include Current Procedural Terminology and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System encounter codes appropriate for either in-person or telehealth encounters based on the list of services payable under
the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.
The guidance is available on the eCQI Resource Center in the following locations:
Immunization Registry Reporting for Stage 3 Meaningful Use
All providers currently in any level of active engagement with the Kentucky Immunization Registry will receive an email with a new bidirectional immunization registry authorization from their Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE) outreach coordinator. This email will provide information regarding bidirectional immunization reporting attestation requirements for Objective 8, Measure 1: Immunization Registry Reporting for Stage 3 of Meaningful Use (Promoting Interoperability).
CMS now permits eligible providers (EPs), eligible hospitals (EHs) and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to revert to Option 1 (complete registration to submit data) of active engagement. However, a new bidirectional immunization registry authorization must be signed and submitted to KHIE within 60 days of the beginning of the EHR reporting period. If the EP, EH or CAH fails to sign and return the new bidirectional immunization registry authorization, it no longer will be considered inactive engagement and, therefore, unable to attest to Objective 8, Measure 1: Immunization Registry Reporting.
Please contact your KHIE outreach coordinator with any questions or concerns.
KHIE Outreach Coordinators
Region 1 (West)
Laura A. Shonk
Phone: (502) 229-2533
Region 2 (Central/West/Passport)
Teresa A. Poff
Phone: (502) 229-8591
Region 3 (Northern and Northeastern)
Ann M. O'Hara
Phone: (502) 229-3123
Region 4 (South Eastern)
Tiffany Pierson
Phone: (502) 229-3406
Help Stop Information Blocking
(Aug. 11, 2016) -The Department of Health and Human Services is working to identify and stop instances of information blocking. Information blocking (or data blocking) occurs when individuals or entities (healthcare providers or IT vendors as an example) knowingly and unreasonably interfere with the exchange or use of electronic health information. Read more
information regarding helping to stop information blocking. Help stop information blocking by reporting information blocking.
View older EHR announcements