By Healthcare Facilities Today

We’ve all seen articles, interviews, and blog posts telling hospitals how to be prepared for potential audits of their meaningful use (MU) incentives. “Lessons learned” and “best practices” abound in an attempt to give advice about protecting those electronic health record (EHR) incentives from recoupment, according to EHR advocate Jim Tate in a recent blog on the MedCity News website

"There is a lot of money on the table, not to mention careers, and the audit process should not be taken lightly. There is simply too much at stake and a wrong move during the audit or appeal process would take a hospital’s staff to a place where it should never have to go," Tate said.

Sometimes, Tate wrote, it is best to look at what not to do, the “worst practices,” including:

• No one in charge 

• Insufficient documentation:

• Ignore requirements

• Undocumented meaningful use strategy

• Blame the EHR vendor

• Don’t perform a security risk assessment

Read the blog.