Clarifying the Milestone Sign Off Process
July 26, 2010
Milestone 3 (M3) is reached when the complete physician office
system solution is up and running and the physician is using
it.
- At that time the physician must sign the form that indicates M3
is completed.
- If physicians are not satisfied that the complete physician
office system solution is ready (e.g., missing components), they
should not authorize the solution to be turned on. Once it is live,
they have reached M3 and physicians may not wait until deficiencies
are addressed to sign the M3 form.
- The countdown on the 120-day warranty period begins on the day
the solution is turned on and is being used in the clinic, not the
day the physician signs the form. There is no advantage in delaying
the form signing.
Milestone 5 (M5) is the Final Implementation Status Review,
which is the final check and acceptance of the implemented
electronic medical record solution.
- This milestone occurs after all deficiencies have been
addressed by the vendor.
- M5 can be completed any time during the 120-day warranty
period. The physician does not have to wait until the end of the
warranty period to sign off on M5.
- If the physician has signed off on M5, but deficiencies arise
before the end of the warranty period, the vendor is still
obligated to resolve any issues.
- The vendor receives payment for M5 only when the final
acceptance of the EMR solution has been given by the
physician/clinic, even if the 120 day warranty period has passed.
All deficiencies identified during that period must be addressed
before payment will be issued.
- Issues identified after the 120-day warranty period has ended
are not part of M5 (even if the M5 deficiencies have not been
addressed yet) and should be handled through the physician's
service agreement with the vendor.