CMS Announces New Name for EHR Programs and ACI Category

This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an overhaul and streamlining effort to the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs for hospitals as well as for the Advancing Care Information performance category of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), which is one track of the Quality Payment Program. This change, which was announced in the Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and the Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) proposed rule, will move 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.

To better reflect this focus, effective immediately CMS is renaming:

• The EHR Incentive Programs to the Promoting Interoperability (PI) Programs for eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals, and Medicaid providers
• The MIPS Advancing Care Information performance category to the Promoting Interoperability performance category for MIPS eligible clinician.

Please note that this rebranding does not merge or combine the EHR Incentive Programs and MIPS. In the coming weeks, CMS will be updating its websites and educational resources to reflect this change.