In October, we announced our new Medical Assistant Credentialing module. This module is available for the purpose of helping medical assistants and other health care professionals who are not credentialed, to meet the requirements of Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Meaningful Use criteria found under 42 CFR Parts 170, 412, 413, and 495. By completing this module, medical assistants and other health care professionals who are not properly credentialed will be able to enter orders into the EHR and have it count towards meeting the Meaningful Use requirements.
Why must a Medical Assistant be credentialed?
Under the 2012 CMS ruling "licensed healthcare professionals and credentialed medical assistants can enter orders into the medical record for purposes of including the order in the numerator for the objective of CPOE if they can originate the order per state, local and professional guidelines."
What Meaningful Use Core Objectives are relevant?
Under Meaningful Use Stage 1, to "use computerized provider order entry (CPOE) for medication orders directly entered by any licensed healthcare professional who can enter orders into the medical record per state, local and professional guidelines."
Under Meaningful Use Stage 2, the Core Objective is to "use CPOE for medication, laboratory, and radiology orders directly entered by any licensed healthcare professional that can enter orders into the medical record per state, local and professional guidelines."
Why take the Medical Assistant Credentialing module?
According to CMS, in order for a provider to count orders entered by its medical assistants, the medical assistant must be credentialed. More specifically, the "credentialing for a medical assistant must come from an organization other that the organization employing the medical assistant."
Because of the CMS ruling, we determined it was necessary to create our Medical Assistant Credentialing module. We feel it is important to offer training that meets or exceeds CMS requirements, but at a fraction of the cost many other associations are charging for similar credentialing.
If you would like more information about the Medical Assistant Credentialing module please do not hesitate to contact us by phone at 855-427-0427.