The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is extending the deadline for eligible professionals to attest to meaningful use for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program 2013, the agency announced today.

"We are seeing extraordinary interest from healthcare providers participating in the Electronic Heath Records Incentive Programs, and to help ensure all eligible healthcare providers are able to receive their incentive payments, we are extending the attestation deadline for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program by one month for professionals," CMS officials said in a statement. "Additionally, hospitals that may have missed their reporting deadline have an opportunity to submit their attestation retroactively.”

"This extension will allow more time for providers to submit their meaningful use data and receive an incentive payment for the 2013 program year, as well as avoid the 2015 payment adjustment."

The reporting year will extend one month for eligible professionals. The deadline was extended from 11:59 p.m. EST on Feb. 28, 2014 to 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2014.

Also, CMS is offering assistance to eligible hospitals that may have experienced difficulty attesting to submit their attestation retroactively and avoid the 2015 payment adjustment.

"This extension does not impact the deadlines for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program or any other CMS program, including the electronic submission for the Physician Quality Reporting System EHR Incentive Program Pilot," CMS added.

To attest, eligible professionals, may use the registration and attestation system to submit their attestation for meaningful use for the 2013 reporting year.

Eligible hospitals may contact CMS for assistance submitting attestations retroactively. Hospitals must contact CMS by March 15 in order to participate for the 2013 program year.