Did you know as of January 2013, to demonstrate Meaningful Use requirements under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services EHR incentive program, only credentialed medical assistants are permitted to enter medication, radiology and laboratory orders into the EHR?
We are excited to announce that we now have a Medical Assistant Credentialing module that is available for the purpose of helping medical assistants meet the requirements of Centers for Medicare And Medicaid Services (CMS) Meaningful Use criteria found under 42 CFR Parts 170, 412, 413, and 495. By completing this module, any of your medical assistants who are not properly credentialed will be able to enter orders into the EHR and have it count towards meeting the Meaningful Use requirements.
The following are some commonly asked questions regarding this requirement:
Who should complete the Medical Assistant Credentialing module?
In a nutshell, any medical assistant who is not currently credentialed as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) or a Registered Medical Assistant (RMA) should complete the Medical Assistant Credentialing module. That being said, it is a good idea for all medical assistants, even those who are certified as a CMA or RMA to complete the module as refresher training.
What about other health care professions such as laboratory, radiology and pharmacy?
CMS FAQ 10134 states who can enter medication orders in order to meet the measure for computerized provider order entry (CPOE) in order to meet the meaningful requirement: "any licensed healthcare professional can enter orders into the medical record for purposes of including the order in the numerator for the measure of the CPOE objective if they can enter the order per state, local, and professional guidelines."
According to CMS FAQ 9058: "if a staff member of the eligible provider is appropriately credentialed and performs similar assistive services as a medical assistant but carries a more specific title due to either specialization of their duties or to the specialty of the medical professional they assist, he or she can use the CPOE function of CEHRT and have it count towards the measure."
Let's take a radiology technician for example. Our interpretation: a radiology technician has a specific title due to their specialization of their duties. Therefore, a radiology technician would be able to use the CPOE function of CEHRT and have it count towards the measure. However, according to FAQ 9058 "this determination must be made by the eligible provider based on individual workflow and the duties performed by the staff member in question."
Is it acceptable for health care organizations to credential their own medical assistants?
According to CMS, "whether a staff member carries the title of medical assistant or another job title, he or she must be credentialed to perform the medical assistant services by an organization other than the employing organization."
This is where we can help with our Medical Assistant Credentialing module.
By completing the Healthcare Compliance Pros Medical Assistant Credentialing module and passing the test with 80 percent or better, medical assistants will be able to receive a Certificate of Completion that will satisfy meaningful use requirements for credentialed medical assistants.
If you do not already have this course and would like to add it to your account, please contact us for more information including pricing.