CMS Reopens Application Period for Meaningful Use Hardship Exception - the period during which certain eligible providers may request a hardship exception from qualifying as a Meaningful User under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program for the 2014 reporting year. The previous deadline to submit a hardship exception application expired earlier in 2014.

The hardship exception is available only to those eligible providers that can demonstrate that they were unable to fully implement 2014 Edition Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT) and, as a result, were unable to attest to any Meaningful Use criteria by the required deadline. CMS will evaluate whether an eligible provider was unable to fully implement 2014 Edition CEHRT pursuant to the criteria established in its 2014 Flexibility Rule, a summary of which is available by clicking here. The Flexibility Rule grants eligible providers the opportunity to attest to prior years' Meaningful Use criteria in the event they were unable to fully implement 2014 Edition CEHRT. The new hardship exception grants additional flexibility to providers that are not able to attest to any Meaningful Use criteria due to deployment issues.

The hardship exception application is available here. Completed applications should be emailed to ehrhardship@provider-resources.com.

Reporter, Christopher Kenny, Washington, D.C., + 1 202 626 9253, ckenny@kslaw.com.