e-Prescribing - Deadline Fast Approaching

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Gavin Walker
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e-Prescribing - Deadline Fast Approaching

Post by Gavin Walker » Mon Dec 05, 2011 12:57 pm

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DECEMBER 31ST MEDICARE E-PRESCRIBING DEADLINE TO AVOID PENALTIES?
The December 2011 deadline to avoid MIPPA e-prescribing penalties is approaching fast. Don't let your practice miss the deadline! Start e-prescribing today and e-prescribe 25 Medicare encounters by December 31st to avoid the costly 1.5% Medicare payment reductions in 2013 and receive a 1% increase in your reimbursement for 2011!

HOW CAN YOU AVOID THE FEDERAL PENALTIES?
Start e-prescribing immediately to avoid losing thousands of dollars in penalties and qualify to get a 1% increase in reimbursement incentive payments! Avoid the rush in December, scheduling for training is filling up quickly! Your order must be received by December 9th to meet the December 31st deadline!

In July 2008, the federal government implemented the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) as an initial step towards mandating e-prescribing technology by using a "carrot and stick" approach. Early adopters are eligible for incentive payments, and providers who delay utilization of e-prescribing technology past December 31, 2011 will be penalized for non-compliance. For 2011, MIPPA has been revised to simplify reporting, broaden eligibility, and allow group practices to qualify.

JUST 3 EASY STEPS TO AVOID LOSING MONEY--DON'T DELAY!
1. PURCHASE E-PRESCRIBING BY DECEMBER 9TH.
2. ADD G8553 TO YOUR SUPERBILL
3. BILL G8553 FOR AT LEAST 25 UNIQUE ELECTRONIC PRESCRIBING EVENTS


1. WHAT ARE THE PENALTIES FOR FAILING TO E-PRESCRIBE?

According to MIPPA, physicians who choose to participate to the 2011 Medicare e-prescribing incentive program would be exempt from a 1.5 percent Medicare payment reduction based on their 2013 Medicare Part B allowed charges. CMS based the 2012 penalty on e-prescribing activity that occurred during Jan. 1, 2011 through June 30, 2011. Penalties for 2013 are based on e-prescribing activity for the entire 2011 calendar year.

2. WHAT E-PRESCRIBING ACTIVITY IS REQUIRED IN 2011 TO AVOID THE 2013 PENALTIES?

To avoid penalties in 2013, an eligible physician must report the e-prescribing G-code, G8553, at least 25 time for Medicare office visits and other approved services for applicable CPT codes included in the CMS e-prescribing measure specifications on your Medicare claim forms.

FAQ's
DOES THIS BILL APPLY TO ME?
If E&M services account for more than 10% of your annual total allowed Medicare charges, you are eligible for incentives and penalties based on your total Part B payments, not just E&M.

HOW MUCH INCENTIVE MONEY CAN I RECEIVE IF I PARTCIPATE?
This amount varies depending on all Medicare Part-B payments, and can be thousands of dollars. To calculate a ball-park for your potential incentive payments, take your part-B reimbursements from last year and multiply by 1%.

HOW DO I EARN MY INCENTIVES?
The simple answer is that you need to begin writing and transmitting your prescriptions using a qualified e-prescribing system. To receive the full benefits of e-prescribing and ensure smooth workflow in the office, we recommend that you utilize your e-prescribing system to write prescriptions for all patients, not just Medicare patients. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) will measure your e-prescribing activity on an annual basis, using the three easy steps outlined on the previous page and will award you the incentives if you meet the required levels of participation. In order to meet the minimum requirements to capture the Medicare bonus, you should being e-prescribing immediately.

WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE?

Go to this website to learn more about the eRx incentive programs.
http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms ... bility.asp

If you select a qualified system, your e-prescribing module will fulfill the following requirements:
  • • Generate a medication list
    • Select medications, transmit prescriptions electronically and conduct safety checks
    • Safety checks include: automated prompts that offer information on the drug being prescribed, potential inappropriate dose or route of administration of the drug, drug-drug interactions, allergy concerns, and warnings/cautions
    • Provide information on lower cost alternatives
    • Provide information on formulary or tiered formulary medications, patient eligibility and authorization requirements received electronically from the patient's drug plan
HOW WILL MY E-PRESCRIBING BE MEASURED?
As it stands currently, CMS will measure your participation through the billing codes you submit to Medicare. After a Medicare patient visit, on your Routing Slip you will submit one of the CPT E/M service codes indicating that an ambulatory office visit occurred:

90801-9; 90862; 92002; 92004; 92012; 92014; 96150-2; 99201-5; 99211-5; 99304-10; 99315-16; 99341-5; 99347-50; G0101; G0108-9

Next you will need to check G8553 which indicates that at least one prescription created during the visit was generated and transmitted electronically using a qualified electronic prescribing system.
Gavin Walker
Walker Tek Solutions, LLC
417-890-6777 x0
fax: 417-763-6386

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