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Eligible physicians may now start reporting their use of
electronic health records (EHRs) to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Service (CMS), a step required for physicians to qualify for Medicare incentive
payments for adopting certified EHR technology and demonstrating “meaningful
use.”
During this process, called attestation, eligible providers
and hospitals that have registered for the Medicare incentive program may report
the results of their meaningful use objectives and attest that they have met
the requirements to receive inventive payments. (For more about the EHR
incentive program and how to participate, see the February 2011 IDSA News and the January 2011 HIVMA enews.)
To learn more about the web-based attestation system, which
launched April 18, visit the CMS website.
CMS plans to hold a phone call with eligible providers on Thursday, May 5, from 1:30-3 p.m. EDT to explain how to navigate the process and answer questions. Click
here to register for the conference call.
The agency also offers an online calculator to help providers
determine if they have met all of the requirements before using the attestation
system.
For those participating in the Medicaid EHR incentive
program, the date when physicians can begin reporting their meaningful use of
EHRs varies by state.
Important general reminders about the EHR incentive programs:
- Figuring out whether you are eligible for
incentive payments is easy. Complete the online registration, which takes only a few minutes, to determine
your eligibility.
- Only physicians who provide 90 percent or more
of their services in a hospital inpatient (Place of Service code 21) or
emergency room (Place of Service code 23) setting will be defined as
hospital-based eligible professionals and, thus, ineligible for incentive
payments.
- Eligibility for incentive payments one year does
not necessarily mean that you will be eligible the next year (or vice-versa). This
is because CMS recalculates your percentage of hospital-based services each
year to determine eligibility.
- Even if you are not eligible for these
incentives, you need to begin the process of EHR implementation. Practices
without EHRs will be at a competitive disadvantage as more health care
providers record and transmit information electronically. Your service mix also
could change: lack of eligibility for incentive payments may not exempt you
from payment penalties beginning in 2015 if you lose your “hospital-based”
status.
A schedule of EHR payment incentives and penalties is
available online.
CMS has a listserv about the EHR incentive program to provide updates on
registration, attestation, and the payment process. Click
here to join. IDSA’s practice management listserve is another resource for
Society members to discuss clinical practice-related issues, including
incentive programs. To subscribe, visit IDSA’s website.
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