Massachusetts Ehealth Equalityincentive Program RFP

Massachusetts eHealth eQualityIncentive Program RFP

(Solicitation No.2015-MeHI-04)

Questions and Answers

ADDED ON:May 1, 2015

10. / Can we still apply if our EHR vendor’s certification is only for 2011 and not 2014? / Yes. MeHI will allow grantees to use 2011 Edition Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT) to meet eQIP milestones.
MeHI is aware of the recent ONC changes and is considering how best to incorporate those changes while maintaining the goal of interoperability.
11. / If our EHR vendor is not ready to transmit to the HIway by end of grant period, are there any repercussions to the grantee? For example, testing has occurred and there are technical issues preventing active transactions on the HIway. / MeHI will address any such issues on a case-by-case basis, if the failure to meet Milestone 4 requirements is caused by Mass HIway technical issues that could not reasonably have been anticipated by the organization and/or its vendor.
12. / Does Milestone 4 require the participant to use query & retrieve capabilities, or just send and receive? / Milestone 4 requires a grantee to connect to and use the Mass HIway, or an HIE that connects to the Mass HIway, to exercise the organization’s use case in production with at least one unaffiliated trading partner.
It does not require use of the HIway’s query and retrieve capabilities.
13. / Does this have anything to do with the Virtual Gateway? / No. The Virtual Gateway is an internet portal designed by EOHHS for online access to health and human services.
The Mass HIway is the statewide electronic HIE that enables secure sending of health information from one user to another, offering healthcare organizations a way to securely and seamlessly transmit vital data electronically.
14. / Is the eQIP BH2 Grant only for organizations funded during the 2014 eQIP Behavioral Health Round I grant? / No – the eQIP Behavioral Health (“BH”) Round 2 Solicitation is open to BH Organizations that were not accepted for funding in Round 1.
If your organization meets the eligibility criteria, we encourage you to apply.
15. / Are organizations with over $25M in PSR eligible to apply? / Yes – the $25 million cap applies only to organizations that are part of an acute care hospital system or have EPs (see Solicitation 2.3.2 Eligibility Criteria #4 & #6).
16. / Where may we find more information on the A-EMRAM model, specifically on the various stages? / Follow this link: to the HIMSS website and click ‘PDF Preview’ for more information.
17. / If our organization did not submit a NOI by April 23rd, may we still apply? / Yes, applications will be accepted even if the organization did not submit an NOI by the April 23, 2015 deadline. In addition, organizations that missed the NOI deadline are still encouraged to submit an NOI as soon as possible.
18. / Our accounting is done on a CY basis and not off of state FY. Is it possible to submit any financials required in this solicitation based on CY instead of state FY? / If your organization’s Fiscal Year is the Calendar Year, you may submit an audited report for the most recent Calendar Year.
19. / Our CPA provides us with a “Compilation of financial statements” annually. Does this suffice as documentation to satisfy the 5th eligibility requirement – Uniformed Financial Statements and Independent Auditors Report? / While MeHI will consider other certifiable documentation that clearly substantiates that an organization meets all Eligibility Criteria, organizations are required to substantiate the revenue calculations used to demonstrate meeting Eligibility Criteria #3 and #5 by submitting supporting documentation that clearly shows the revenue figures in the source that correspond to the amounts listed.
20. / We are a BH provider that is affiliated with an acute care medical center, but it is not a ‘parent.’ Are we eligible for eQIP? / MeHI is unable to determine specific eligibility from the facts presented.
In general, organizations that are affiliated with a system that includes an acute care hospital (see Solicitation §2.2.1 Definitions and §2.3.2 Eligibility Criteria) are not eligible for eQIP.
There are 2 exceptions:
(1)If the annual organizational revenue of the parent org/system is less than$25 million; or
(2) If the system holds a minority ownership interest in the organization; the system does not exercise governance or management control; and the organization’s financial statements are not consolidated with those of system
If the organization has a relationship with an acute care hospital – or a system with an acute care hospital – it must provide a copy of all relevant agreement(s) between the organization and the hospital system or component thereof.
Note that any confidential provisions in such agreements should be redacted prior to submission.
In lieu of submitting the entire agreement(s), the organization may extract and submit the portions of such agreement(s) that describe the management relationship between the entities and the nature of the ownership interest in the organization.
It is incumbent on the applicant to disclose the relationship and explain why it does not meet the Solicitation’s definition of affiliated.
21. / Not all of our locations provide BH services – are we still eligible to apply? / The organization is the Applicant (not each facility or location) and must meet all of the eligibility criteria.
Eligibility Criteria #3 requires that the organization provide primarily BH services in Massachusetts – defined as, more than 50% of the annual total organizational revenue must be PSR from the provision of BH services in the Commonwealth.
22. / We are a large organization with multiple sites. Is it possible to submit an application only for our mental health clinic even though the Tax ID is the same as the larger organization? / No. The organization is the Applicant (not an individual clinic), and the organization must meet all of the eligibility criteria.
See answer to #12, above,
23. / Federal grants & contracts (public payers) often cover BH services not covered by other payers. Are federal grants/contracts for patient BH services provided in MA included in Patient Services Revenue? If not, why not? / MeHI will consider federal grants/contracts to provide BH services to public payer clients as PSR if the services provided meet the definition of BH Services under this Solicitation.
24. / How important and necessary for this funding and approval is the "interoperability" component, the intended use of the Mass HIway for exchange of info with trading partners? What is considered a trading partner? Is this a fundamental component that MUST be in place to be approved for funding? / EHR system interoperability and transacting on the Mass HIway are goals of the eQIP program, not a requirement for eligibility. While having a trading partner is not a requirement at the time of application, the grantee will need to identify a trading partner to achieve milestone 1.
The Incentive Program is intended to assist eligible BH provider organizations to adopt and effectively use certified EHRs – including interoperability and integration with the Mass HIway. Incentive payments are granted for reaching advanced health IT integration.
25. / We already have an EHR; do we still need to do the Transformation Plan? / Yes. All grantees are required to complete the requirements of Milestone 1.
The eQIP program is more than acquiring an EHR. The Program is designed to incent eligible BH organizations to an increasingly sophisticated use of health IT in an effort to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare in the Commonwealth, while containing costs.
26. / We have an existing EHR; however it is not interoperable and has significant issues. We are adopting a new CEHRT system, are we eligible for the grant? / Yes. Program eligibility does not require an organization to have an interoperable EHR. To complete Milestones 2, 3 & 4, a certified EHR technology must be used to achieve the functions necessary to meet the required measures.
27. / Do you need the UFR be send directly from our auditors, or can we print it and send it with our application? / The Organization may send the UFR, it does not need to come from an auditor.
The UFR and other supporting documentation must accompany both the electronic application and the hard copy; and must clearly show the revenue figures in the source that validate the amounts listed in the attestation.
28. / How will we receive up-to-date information on any changes to the Solicitation? / It is the Respondent’s responsibility to check the MeHI website (or the MassTech and COMMBUYS websites) for updates, addenda or modifications to the Solicitation.
Except for typographical or transcription modifications, the website will clearly display any changes, modifications or updates.
Questions and requests for clarifications may be e-mailed to:
29. / Could we get clarification on Eligibility Criteria #5 that states "more than 50% of PSR generated from facilities located in MA is public payer"?
Does that mean a MA public payer or from any state?
All our revenues are generated from facilities located in MA but revenue comes from many states. / Any public payer revenue may be included, including Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and revenue under any state or local contract to provide BH services (as defined in the Solicitation) to public payer clients may be used.
/ QUESTION / ANSWER
Where can I find more information about health IT terminology? / For more information and understanding about health IT terminology, please visit the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s (ONC) website:
ONC Health IT Terms

ONC Glossary

Our organization uses non-CEHRT EHR product. Are we still eligible for the eQIP grant? / Achievement of Milestone 1 does not require an organization to have an EHR; however, to complete Milestones 2, 3 & 4, certified EHR technology must be used to achieve the functions necessary to meet the required measures. We are, however, open to requests for exception (e.g., when no viable certified product exists for the function).
The eQIP grant may be used to upgrade to a CEHRT model and/or add modules to become CEHRT. Details of how the organization plans to do so must be incorporated into the application proposal.
Is funding available for those organizations that have already begun implementation, or already operate using an EHR? / Using an EHR does not preclude program eligibility. Organizations who have do not have an EHR; are in the process of procuring and implementing an EHR; and who already have an EHR currently in use may apply for eQIP.
The Incentive Program is intended to assist eligible BH provider organizations to adopt and effectively use certified EHRs – including integration with the Mass HIway. Incentive payments are granted for reaching advanced health IT integration.
Grantees are required to complete the HIMSS survey to determine their baseline EMRAM score. This will determine what milestone payments the grantee is eligible to receive (see Solicitation: Section 2.3.3 Milestones). For example, if a grantee receives a score that indicates attainment of EMRAM Stage 3, the grantee will have already met milestone 2 and thus is not be eligible for that milestone payment. The Applicant, however, may be eligible for the other milestones.
While grantees cannot get paid for Milestones 2 or 3 if they completed that work prior to submitting an Application, they may still receive incentive payments under this solicitation. In this situation, the milestone payment for Milestone 2 or 3 (but not both) will be allocated to another Milestone. MeHI reserves the right to adjust total payments based upon a grantee’s baseline.
How do we learn of the Mass HIway Use Case? / There are many educational resources, including the MeHI website: (
MeHI also plans to have a series of instructional sessions for grantees. We welcome your use of the MeHI Use Case Library: While new and evolving, this will provide examples of uses of the HIway. Additionally, you can read the HIE stories we published over the last few months: (
How much will it cost my organization to connect to the HIway as required for Milestone 4? / It depends on the size of the organization and method of connection.
See link below for the HIway rate card:

What type of documentation would serve to demonstrate that we are not an Eligible Hospital? / A letter, signed by the director or an officer of the Organization, attesting that the Organization is not an Eligible Hospital (EH) and that its providers are not Eligible Professionals (EPs) under the HITECH Act will serve as appropriate documentation.
Please refer to the link below regarding the parameters and the criteria to qualify as an Eligible Hospital published by CMS under the EHR Incentive Programs (e.g., an acute care hospital, CAH, cancer hospital or children's hospital, as defined under CMS Program regulations): - see

A few clinicians at my organization qualify for MU incentives. Does this preclude the organization from eligibility for eQIP? / An organization may be eligible if the number of EPs total less than 30% of the Organization’s clinical staff AND the Organization is either independent or total organizational revenue of parent organization is <$25M. [See Solicitation Section 2.3.2]
What should be in the organizational approval letter? In addition to stating the organization is in support of the grant/project, are there additional critical elements? / The organizational approval letter should be signed by the CEO or other officer and confirm that the organization supports the eQIP grant application and efforts to achieve Program Milestones.
The letter may include additional supporting statements regarding organizational commitment to fulfilling grant goals.
Re: eligibility criteria #5, (more than 50% of the organization’s PSR in MA must be public payer), could you clarify if these payers must be Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP?
For example, would BH contracts with DYS, DOC, etc. be applicable? / Any public payer revenue may be included, including Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP.
Revenue under any state or local contract to provide BH services to public payer clients may be used.

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