Connecticut State Department of Public Health

COVID-19 Community Levels Update, March 17, 2023: The CDC has listed all eight Connecticut counties in the Low/Green category as part of its weekly Community Levels update. People who are at a high risk for severe illness should consider additional measures to minimize their exposure to COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses. Visit the CDC COVID-19 Community Levels Map for updates.


Please visit covidtests.gov to request four free COVID-19 self-test kits from the Federal Government. Find a location that has a supply of COVID-19 therapeutics as part of the Test to Treat initiative here. The complete DPH COVID-19 toolbox is located at ct.gov/coronavirus.

Promoting Interoperability

 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Promoting Interoperability


The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revised existing public health reporting requirements for eligible clinicians (ECs) participating in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Promoting Interoperability Performance Category in the Calendar Year (CY) 2022 Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule and for the eligible hospitals (EHs) and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS).

  • For the ECs in the 2022 MIPS Promoting Interoperability Performance Category, the regulation requires reporting of two measures associated with the Public Health and Clinical Data Exchange Objective: Immunization Registry Reporting, and Electronic Case Reporting or requesting applicable exclusion(s).
  • For the EHs and CAHs in the 2022 Medicare IPPS the regulation requires reporting of four of the existing Public Health and Clinical Data Exchange Objective measures (Syndromic Surveillance Reporting, Immunization Registry Reporting, Electronic Case Reporting, and Electronic Reportable Laboratory Result Reporting) or requesting applicable exclusion(s). 
  • The CMS Immunization-Registry Measure Rules revised public health reporting requirements for eligible clinicians participating in the 2022 MIPS Promoting Interoperability (PI) Performance Category and for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the 2022 Medicare PI Program. Both programs now require participants to demonstrate they are “in active engagement with a public health agency to submit immunization data and receive immunization forecasts and histories from Immunization Information Systems.” The CDC Public Health Data Interoperability webpage includes links to CMS content about immunization registry-specific information for Medicare here and MIPS here.

Helpful MIPS Websites:

Current Project Status (MIPS Promoting Interoperability)

Meaningful Use (effective through 09/30/2021 and attestation submission through 12/31/2021)

 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) enacted the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act to accelerate the adoption of health information technology.  The ARRA offered incentives to eligible providers and hospitals to adopt health information technology and use it in a “meaningful” way.  Meaningful Use/Promoting Interoperability (MU) is defined in a specific way, requiring fifteen "core" and ten "menu" criteria.  Of the ten menu options, three required reporting to public health:

  • Submit electronic data to public health immunization registries/systems.
  • Provide electronic submission of reportable lab results to public health agencies.
  • Provide electronic syndromic surveillance data to public health agencies.

Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is currently working towards accepting immunization data, electronic laboratory reports for notifiable diseases and conditions, and syndromic data in a meaningful manner to improve public health from providers, hospitals, and electronic health records vendors.

 

Current project status for MU through 9/30/2021

07/20/21 - Program Year 2021 Meaningful Use Public Health Measure Update 

09/14/20 - Program Year 2020 Meaningful Use Public Health Measure Update

02/15/19 - Program Year 2019 Meaningful Use Public Health Measure Update

04/03/18 - Program Year 2018 Meaningful Use Public Health Measure Update

11/22/17 - Program Year 2017 Meaningful Use Public Health Measure Update

12/13/16 - Program Year 2017 Meaningful Use Public Health Measure Update

01/22/16 - Program Year 2016 Meaningful Use Public Health Measure Update

01/22/16 - Program Year 2015 Meaningful Use Public Health Measure Update

 

DPH is currently working on the infrastructure to support the submission of electronic laboratory reports, immunization data and syndromic surveillance. 

Participation in the Connecticut Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Program

Eligible Professionals who participated in the Connecticut Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program were required to register with the Medical Assistance Provider Incentive Repository (MAPIR).  The MAPIR launched on September 1, 2011.  Please visit the official Connecticut Medicaid Incentives EHR Incentive Program website  for information and updates. 

 

Registration with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s National Level Repository (NLR)

Eligible Professionals were also required to register with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s National Level Repository (NLR).

 

Additional Meaningful Use websites:

Information for EHR Vendors

The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs require the use of certified EHR technology. Standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHR technology have been adopted by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. EHR technology must be tested and certified by an Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB) in order for a provider to qualify for EHR incentive payments.