Medical Industry News

Hear the Experts Talk about the EHR Incentive Programs

Register Now: National Provider Call on Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program Basics for Eligible Professionals (EPs)

Date: Thursday, July 14
Time : 1:30-3:00pm  ET

CMS proposes policy, payment rate changes for the Physician Fee Schedule in 2012

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a proposed rule that would update payment policies and rates for physicians and nonphysician practitioners (NPPs) for services paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) in calendar year (CY) 2012.  More than 1 million providers of vital health services to Medicare beneficiaries – including medical and osteopathic physicians, limited license practitioners such as podiatrists, and NPPs such as nurse practitioners and physical therapists – are paid under the MPFS.  CMS projects that total payments under the MPFS in CY 2012 will be $80 billion.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed giving physicians additional "hardship" exemptions that will prevent them from being penalized by Medicare for not prescribing electronically this year. The only catch is that the proposed rule won't be finalized until sometime after July 25, when the comment period ends. With a deadline for obtaining an exemption set for Oct. 1, doctors will have roughly two months to apply for an exemption.

On Wednesday, CMS released a final rule stating that Medicaid will no longer reimburse hospitals and health care providers for treating certain preventable conditions, MedPage Today reports.

Indiana and Ohio Launched Their Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs on May 2nd
This week, Indiana and Ohio opened their Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs for registration to Medicaid eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals. EPs and eligible hospitals in these states will be able to receive Medicaid EHR incentive payments after successfully registering and attesting at the state level to having adopted, implemented, or upgraded certified EHR technology. More information about the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program can be found on the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Basics page of the CMS EHR website.

Sign Up for CMS' National Provider Calls about Attestation

CMS is holding conference calls for eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program to provide information on the attestation process. These calls will take place next week. Mark your calendars for one of the calls below.

This article briefly outlines 50 things to know about the Medicare Shared Savings Program proposed rule — which established Medicare accountable care organizations — released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on March 31. The article begins with a summary of key 45 provisions included in the proposed regulations and then provides five general observations regarding the ACO program, as established by the regulations.

Nearly three-quarters of respondents to a recent poll said they would like to have an online connection to their physician's office, according to Intuit Health's second annual Health Care Check-Up Survey, InformationWeek reports (Lewis, InformationWeek, 3/4).

More than 21,000 providers initiated registration for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs in January and four states reported initial Medicaid incentive payments totaling $20,425,550, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced today. In addition, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced that as of Feb. 11, 2011, more than 45,000 providers requested information or registration help from 62 Regional Extension Centers (RECs). RECs provide hands-on support for providers who want to adopt and become meaningful users of electronic health information technology. This early interest in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR programs reveals strong support for these programs that will advance health care through improvements in patient safety, quality of care, and patient involvement in treatment options. 

The tide is turning.