American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I qualify for the stimulus money?

What is an eligible provider?

Basically, MDs and some PAs that treat Medicare or Medicaid patients. Officially: The Social Security Act's Definition of "Physician" (section r)

What is "meaningful use"?

A set of criteria that is being finalized by HHS (Department of Health and Human Services). At a minimum, it includes ePrescribe, interoperability, security and reporting criteria.

When will "meaningful use" be fully defined?

2011 standards are already agreed upon with possible minor revisions. Likely to be finalized over the next few months. HHS' Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has released a Interim Final Ruling (IFR) that will act as the final rule. The comment period has ended, but no modifications have been publicized.
2013 and 2015 standards will continue changing.

How do I "demonstrate" meaningful use?

Mostly, by reporting the required quality measures to CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services). Compliance will likely be complaint-driven as it was with HIPAA.

What does "certified" mean?

HHS Certification. One or more NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) certified components that comprise a fully certified EHR.

So I can use modules from several different vendors?

Yes, as long as they create a complete system that allows for demonstration of meaningful use. (i.e. Centricity PM and ChartLogic EMR)

What about CCHIT?

CCHIT (Certification Commission for Health Information Technology) has applied to be one of the NIST certifying bodies. They will provide 2 main certifications: HHS certification (overseen by NIST) and CCHIT certification (which presumably will be HHS+)
CCHIT certification (not government recognized or backed) is still occurring.

If I have a CCHIT Certified EHR, does that mean it is HHS Certified?

No. CCHIT will release a 2011 certification that will meet and/or exceed HHS 2011 standards. No current version of CCHIT Certification meets these standards.
CCHIT has begun certifying vendors such as ChartLogic under the presumption that the standards will not increase in complexity. This is called Preliminary ARRA Certification, but it is not government approved, and will be subject to recertification once the final rules are released.

Is ChartLogic EMR HHS Certified?

No. No vendor has an HHS Certified product today and none will be certified until summer 2010, at the earliest. Most likely, official HHS Certification will occur in late summer or early fall, 2010.

Does the current version of ChartLogic EMR meet all criteria in the currently published meaningful use matrix?

No. ChartLogic 7.0 is currently being tested and will include changes to become certified. Additional modules, such as ePrescribing will be required, along with a PM system that is certified, such as ChartLogic PM.

Will ChartLogic EMR be HHS Certified?

Yes. Obviously this is a forward-looking statement, but ChartLogic EMR users will be able to upgrade to the certified product.

When?

Will I have to pay for the ChartLogic EMR upgrade?

ChartLogic EMR users who maintain an active warranty (support and upgrades) agreement will not be charged additional fees to upgrade. Additional modules, such as ePrescribe and Reporting may be required, depending on specialty.

Will the ChartLogic EMR product or ChartLogic iAchieve product be certified?

ChartLogic EMR will be certified. ChartLogic iAchieve EHR may also be certified (undetermined).
Your current core functionality will likely not change dramatically in the HHS certified upgrade.