Audit Preparation

Owned by Dylan Nigh
Apr 28, 2023
2 min read

Prepare for a potential audit by saving a backup and files of each of the reports used to verify your attestation data. Here you will find CMS' advise on audit preparation.

Providers have the potential to be audited by CMS for up to six years after each attestation submission. Currently, CMS is auditing about 20% of all accepted attestations. If you do not print or save reports for supporting documentation at the time of your attestation, a backup of MacPractice from the same year and the same version of MacPractice will be the only way to retrieve documentation supporting your attestation in the event of an audit.

In case of an audit, MacPractice recommends that providers always keep a copy of the reports used to verify attestation, to maintain records of accurate report counts for the criteria to which you attested. We also recommend saving a backup from the day you attest, in case you end up needing anything that you did not print or save.

For more information on creating a backup, see our Backup Guide.

Report Records

In the event of an audit, you will be asked to furnish reports that were generated from the same version of certified software that was used during your attestation. When you attest each year, always either save or print a copy of each report you used to generate numbers (or exclusions) during your attestation. Also maintain any supporting documentation of measures that required a yes/no answer, such as screen shots of a drug-drug or drug-allergy alert or screen shots of your Clinical Decision Rules enabled in your References.

  • MacPractice versions 4.1 through 4.4 were 2011 certified softwares, used by providers from 2011-2014 to meet Meaningful Use. If audited for an attestation from any of these years, you will need reports generated from a 2011 certified software.

  • MacPractice 5.0 though Generation 11 are 2014 certified softwares, used by providers from 2014-2018. If audited for attestations from any of these years, you would need reports generated from a 2014 certified software.

To generate reports, first set the report filters to the required metrics, such as the Start and End Date and the provider attesting. Next, click the Apply button to run the report.

Once the report has populated the data, select File > Print or press Command + P on your keyboard. In the resulting Print menu, you can select to print a paper copy of the file with the Print button.

For a digital copy (recommended), click the PDF button and select Save as PDF from the resulting menu.

The file will contain a unique footer with the MacPractice product, version number, logo, and timestamp. This file can be used to demonstrate the state of your practice's records at the time of attestation.

Repeat this process for each report used to verify your attestation numbers.