Welcome to the S.C. Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Program Website

***Announcement***: We anticipate accepting Program Year 2018 attestations beginning Jan. 1, 2019. The deadline for submission will be March 31, 2019. We do not plan to extend this deadline.

The Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program has been renamed the “Promoting Interoperability (PI) Program”. Although the name has changed, the PI Program continues the requirements, attestation and incentive payment process of the “EHR Incentive Program” for demonstration of meaningful use with certified electronic health record technology by Eligible Professionals (EPs) and Eligible Hospitals (EHs). Please note EPs participating in Medicare Payment, PI, and Quality Programs can also participate in the Medicaid PI Program, meet its requirements and receive additional incentive money. This link illustrates the similarities between these programs. Medicaid PI incentive payments will end after 2021, so there is still limited time to take advantage of this opportunity and be rewarded for your EHR usage for each of the remaining four program years!

Users can attest on behalf of EP(s), but they must have an Identity and Access Management system (I&A) web user account (User ID/Password) and be associated to the EP’s National Provider Identifier (NPI). If you are working on behalf of an EP(s) and do not have an I&A web user account, Create a Login here in the I&A System.

EP incentives are $8500 per each EP attestation. A reduced incentive amount is available to pediatricians if they are unable to meet certain requirements. Individual EPs are eligible to receive up to six (6) separate incentive payments from the Medicaid PI Program, regardless of their participation in other programs. Practices/ organizations who are the designated “Payee” for their collective individual EP incentive payments are not limited on the amount they may receive. EPs can skip program years and participate again at any time (skipping program years is allowed).

How do I determine if I, or my providers, are eligible to participate in the PI Program and receive additional incentive payments?

To be sure, you must send your NPI or your organization's provider NPIs to HITSC@scdhhs.gov or call us at 803-898-2996 to perform a nationwide check. It is unlikely that EPs know their eligibility or participation history from previous employers and may mistakenly believe they are not eligible - that is why it is important to contact us.  Click here to read more.

What if an EP has a previous attestation that was not paid or was hospital-based in a previous year?

• Unpaid attestations from previous years can still be resolved and paid in most instances by contacting us at hitsc@scdhhs.gov; however, an EP does not need to resolve unpaid attestations to attest to a new program year - simply select 2018 as the program year when attesting. Providers do not need to submit an attestation each year, nor be paid for every attestation submitted - providers may rejoin the program and begin participation at any time (although we encourage you to do that as soon as possible because there are only four program years left, so attesting for each of the remaining years will allow you the opportunity to receive the most incentive money).
• A previous determination of hospital-based from our Program does not make the provider ineligible to attest in future years - it is only for that program year. An EP's hospital-based status often changes year to year and the timeframe for which a provider needs to be not hospital-based changes with each program year. We have had a lot of EPs incorrectly believe they were hospital-based and not submit an attestation - please do not assume you are hospital-based. SCDHHS will check the EP's status during the EP's attestation review and if the EP is found to be hospital-based we will notify the EP.

What are the Meaningful Use (MU) requirements for Program Year 2018?

For current program year (PY) 2018, EPs and EHs have the option to meet Modified Stage 2, or optional Stage 3, MU requirements during an EP selected continuous minimum 90-day period from Jan. 1, 2018 through Dec. 31, 2018. If you are eligible for both stage 2 and optional stage 3, please review and determine which stage you meet the requirements for. You do not need to meet the requirements for both stage 2 and stage 3 - select only one to attest to. See Resources Tab for more information and help with meeting meaningful use.

• Eligible Professionals (EPs): Modified Stage 2 requirements here and Stage 3* here.
• Eligible Hospitals (EHs): Modified Stage 2 requirements here and Stage 3* here.

*Important: In order to attest to optional Stage 3, the EP/ EH must have used certified EHR technology (CEHRT) that is certified to the 2015 edition, or to a combination of the 2015 Edition and 2014 Edition as long as the combination would not prohibit the EP from meeting Stage 3 requirements. However, an EP who has technology certified to the 2014 Edition only, may not attest to optional Stage 3 and would need to attest to Modified Stage 2. Check what edition your CEHRT is certified to via this link. Contact us if you need help or do not see your product(s) listed.

When should EPs be performing Meaningful Use (MU) actions? Do EPs have to perform these actions the entire year?

For current program year 2018, EPs select a minimum of any continuous 90-day reporting period from within Jan. 1, 2018 and Dec. 31, 2018 to perform the required meaningful use actions. EPs do not have to perform these actions the entire calendar year. EPs can select a reporting period which is longer than 90 days and are encouraged to do so if it will allow them to qualify.

Some meaningful use requirements allow flexibility in order to help EPs and EHs meet them. This helpful guide explains which MU requirements provide this flexibility. Many providers have had success with meeting MU by using the helpful guide. Certain meaningful use requirements have exclusions and if the EP/ EH meets the requirements of the exclusion, they may claim it instead. Excluding MU requirements will not reduce the incentive payment amount.

What if EPs see patients at locations without Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT)?

For information regarding EPs who practice at multiple locations, please refer to this link.

Can users submit attestations on behalf of providers in their organizations/ practices?

Yes. They must establish an Identity and Access (I&A) Management Account first.

• See Frequently Asked Questions
• See I&A Quick Reference Guide

How do I submit an attestation to receive an incentive payment?