The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has extended the attestation deadline for the Medi-Cal electronic health record (EHR) incentive program reporting for the 2016 program year. The deadline has been pushed to May 23, 2017. After that date, DHCS will only accept 2017 attestations. Eligible providers should be aware that 2016 is the last year that they can sign up for the program. Providers who have not received at least one incentive payment by the end of the 2016 reporting year won’t be able to receive any EHR incentive program payments in the future.

As a result of 2016 program year extension, attestations for 2017 will not be accepted until after 2016 reporting closes on May 23, 2017, at 6 p.m. 

Group administrators should, however, be aware that while the State Level Registry (SLR) does currently allow groups to enter membership for the 2017 program year, DHCS strongly advises against doing so until the 2016 program year closes for two reasons:

1. If a group needs to reopen its 2016 attestation for any reason (for example, to add providers) the SLR will require that the 2017 attestation also be reopened, resulting in a great deal of work and data reentry for the group administrator and SLR staff.


2. Group administrators will not be able to enter a 90-day representative period for 2017 using the “last 12 months” option until May 23, 2017, when new code is deployed for 2017 attestations. 

DHCS also strongly recommends that groups delay submission of their 2017 attestations until most of their provider attestations have been reviewed and approved for 2016, so that they are relatively certain that it will not be necessary to reopen their 2016 group attestation.

Click here for more information about Medi-Cal EHR incentive program reporting.

Contact: Medi-Cal.EHR@dhcs.ca.gov or (916) 552-9181.