How many clinical quality measures (CQMs) must EHR technology be certified to in order to be issued a 2014 Edition Complete EHR certification?
Answer:
A 2014 Edition Complete EHR is defined as EHR technology that meets the Base EHR definition and has been developed to meet, at a minimum, all mandatory 2014 Edition EHR certification criteria for either an ambulatory setting or inpatient setting. The Base EHR definition specifies how many CQMs EHR technology must be certified to for the inpatient and ambulatory setting and, thus, how many CQMs EHR technology must be certified to in order to be issued a 2014 Edition Complete EHR certification.
For the ambulatory setting, in order for EHR technology to be issued a 2014 Edition Complete EHR certification it would need to be certified to § 170.314(c)(1) and (2) for no fewer than 9 CQMs covering at least 3 domains from the set selected by CMS for eligible professionals, including at least 6 CQMs from the recommended core set identified by CMS.
For more information about the CQMs selected by CMS for eligible professionals beginning in CY 2014, please see Table 8 of CMS’s EHR Incentive Program – Stage 2 final rule (77 FR 54069-54075) and subsequent notice correcting errors in Table 8 (77 FR 64755). For the inpatient setting, in order for EHR technology to be issued a 2014 Edition Complete EHR certification it would need to be certified to § 170.314(c)(1) and (2) for no fewer than 16 CQMs covering at least 3 domains from the set selected by CMS for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs). For more information about the CQMs selected by CMS for eligible hospitals and CAHs beginning in FY 2014, please see Table 10 of CMS’s EHR Incentive Program – Stage 2 final rule (77 FR 54083-54087).
To note, for 2014 Edition Complete EHR certification, EHR technology would also need to be certified to the mandatory certification criterion for electronic submission of CQMs at § 170.314(c)(3). This certification criterion includes the capability to electronically create a data file for transmission of clinical quality measurement data in accordance with QRDA Category I and III and that can be accepted by CMS.