2023 MIPS SAFER Guide Requirements: A Deep Dive into this Promoting Interoperability Requirement that you need to complete outside of the EHR
Navigating the waters of healthcare administration can often feel like a daunting endeavor. Especially when it comes to understanding the intricacies of programs like the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the corresponding SAFER Guides, presented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
In this blog post, we aim to unravel the complexities of the 2023 MIPS SAFER Guide requirements. Specifically, we'll focus on clarifying the distinct roles and responsibilities of individual clinicians and medical practices. With this knowledge, you'll be better equipped to meet these requirements head-on, ensuring you deliver top-tier, compliant care.
Demystifying MIPS and the SAFER Guides
The SAFER (Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience) Guides play a critical role within the MIPS framework. One of these guides is also a requirement for any individual or practice participating in the Promoting Interoperability category. These guides consist of a set of tools designed to help healthcare providers enhance the safety and utilization of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), thereby minimizing the risk of patient safety issues stemming from EHR use.
The 2023 MIPS SAFER Guide Requirements
Now, let's delve deeper into the unique responsibilities of individual clinicians and practices under the 2023 MIPS SAFER Guide requirements.
The individual clinician’s role is centered around personal performance and contributions. Their responsibilities include:
Diligently meeting MIPS reporting requirements and ensuring thorough documentation of patient data.
Constantly seeking ways to improve the quality of care they provide.
Utilizing EHRs to promote interoperability and patient safety.
Regularly participating in improvement activities in alignment with MIPS objectives.
The SAFER guides, for individual clinicians, are about understanding and managing the safety aspects of EHRs. They need to be familiar with EHR safety, data integrity, and patient identification, among other aspects.
Practices are responsible for the broader aspects of implementing MIPS and the SAFER Guides. Their responsibilities involve:
Developing and implementing procedures that promote MIPS compliance among all clinicians.
Ensuring correct and secure use of EHRs across the entire practice.
Establishing safeguards to prevent EHR-related patient safety risks.
Fostering a culture of continuous improvement and quality assurance.
In essence, for practices, the SAFER Guides take a macro view. They deal with system configuration, contingency planning, system interfaces, and other larger-scale EHR considerations.
The SAFER Guides: A Closer Look
There are a total of 9 SAFER Guides. To further understand the SAFER Guides, it's worth exploring some of the key areas they cover:
Foundational Guides
High Priority Practices: This guide spotlights key EHR safety practices that warrant immediate attention, including contingency planning and user-centered design.
Note: For 2023, this is the only guide that practices and individual MIPS physicians and clinicians must complete.
Organizational Responsibilities: This guide focuses on crucial organizational responsibilities for EHR safety, such as establishing a safety culture and addressing EHR safety in vendor contracts.
Infrastructure Guides
System Configuration: This guide identifies safety practices associated with the way the EHR hardware and software are configured.
System Interfaces: This guide looks at ways you can optimize patient safety of your system-to-system interfaces between your EHR and other third party software applications.
Clinical Process Guides
Patient Identification: It's crucial to correctly identify patients in EHRs. This guide details best practices for achieving this.
Computerized Provider Order Entry with Decision Support: This guide assists in leveraging EHRs to enhance the safety of medication delivery.
Test Results Reporting and Follow-up: EHRs can streamline test results reporting and follow-up. This guide illustrates how.
Clinician Communication: Effective clinician communication is key to patient safety. This guide details how EHRs can facilitate this.
Contingency Planning: This guide emphasizes the importance of having backup plans in case of EHR system failures.
By comprehending the nuances of these guides, both individual clinicians and practices can tailor their strategies to optimize EHR safety and efficiency, thereby ensuring MIPS compliance and promoting superior patient care. As noted above, at this time, to meet 2023 MIPS requirements, you must complete only the High Priority Practices SAFER Guide. You may also need to consult with your third party vendors, like your EHR, to assist in completing the assessment. Keep this in mind, as this may increase the time it takes to complete the guide.
The 2023 MIPS SAFER Guide requirements underscore the importance of high-quality, efficient care, emphasizing both individual and collective efforts. By understanding your responsibilities, you'll be better equipped to adapt to this evolving framework.
Remember, these guides aren't just about achieving compliance—they're about embodying the highest standards of healthcare. As a clinician or medical practice, that's a goal worth striving for every single day. To dive even deeper into these requirements, contact Chirpy Bird at 888-647-7247 or hello@chirpybirdinc.com.
