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Updates on the CMS EHR Incentive Programs

Find three updates on the CMS EHR Incentive Programs.

National Calls on the Medicare EHR Incentive Program:

CMS is holding two national calls on registration for the Medicare EHR Incentive Programs. Registration instructions for both calls are included below. A call for Eligible Professionals will be held on Friday April 1st at 10:30am PST, and a call for Eligible Hospitals will be held on Wednesday, April 6th at 10:30am PST. Please be aware that each call will have information specific to the intended audience (professional or hospital), so please plan to attend the call appropriate for you. When you register, you will have the opportunity to enter in specific questions that you would like to see included on the particular call. Registration is limited, so if you are interested, please register as soon as possible.

New FAQs:

CMS has posted several new Frequently Asked Questions on our home page for the Incentive Program, and outlines of the questions and links can be found below.

http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/95_FAQ.asp#TopOfPage

See complete List of FAQs: http://questions.cms.hhs.gov/

New Drop-In Article:

CMS has developed a drop-in article titled, “EHR Incentive Programs – Act Now!” This language can be included as part of a newsletter or article to help promote and inform on the EHR Incentive Program. Full text of the article is included below.

As an ongoing reminder, CMS′s official website for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs is www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/

From there, you can access our most current tip sheets, Frequently Asked Questions, and other resources.

To register for the CMS National List on the EHR Incentive Program, please visit the following site: https://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USCMS_627

You can also follow CMS on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cmsgov

Two Upcoming National Education Calls on Registration for the EHR Incentive Programs

Fri Apr 1, 1:30-3pm EST – Eligible Professionals, Medicare Incentive Program
Wed Apr 6, 1:30-3pm EST – Eligible Hospitals, Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs

On Fri Apr 1, the CMS Provider Communications Group will host a national provider education call for eligible professionals about registration for the Medicare Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program, which will cover the following topics:

  • Eligibility for Incentives.
  • Switching between the Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs.
  • Reassigning Payments.
  • Pre-Registration.
  • Registration.
  • Helpful Resources.

Then, on Wed Apr 6, CMS will host a second national call for eligible hospitals about registration for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, which will cover:

  • Eligibility for Incentives.
  • Dually eligible hospitals.
  • Pre-Registration.
  • Registration.
  • Helpful Resources.

In order to receive the call-in information for either of these calls, participants must register. (Note that if you are planning to sit in with a group, only one person needs to register to receive the call-in information.) Registration will close at 1:30pm EST on the day before each of the calls or when available space has been filled; no exceptions will be made, so please register early. To register for these calls:

  • Visit either:
  • Fill in all required information and click “Register.”
  • You will be taken to the “Thank you for registering” page and will receive a confirmation email shortly thereafter. Please save this page, in the event that your server blocks the confirmation emails. (If you do not receive the confirmation email, check your spam/junk mail filter as it may have been directed there.)

If assistance for hearing impaired services is needed, the request must be sent to medicare.ttt@palmettogba.com no later than 3 business days before the event.

Prior to each call, presentation materials will be available in the Upcoming Events section of the Spotlight Page on the CMS EHR website.

New Incentive Program FAQs Posted Online!

CMS wants to help you find the answers you need about the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. Take a minute and review the new FAQs about topics including eligibility, registration, meaningful use and attestation that have been posted to the FAQ section of the EHR Incentive Programs website.

A few of the new FAQs include:

1.What is the definition of "reasonable cost" for critical access hospitals (CAHs) under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs?
The reasonable costs for which a CAH may receive an EHR incentive payment are the reasonable acquisition costs for the purchase of certified EHR technology to which purchase depreciation (excluding interest) would otherwise apply. (See website for full answer)

2.How is hospital-based status determined for eligible professionals (EPs) in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs?
A hospital-based eligible professional (EP) is defined as an EP who furnishes 90% or more of their covered professional services in either the inpatient (Place of Service 21) or emergency department (Place of Service 23) of a hospital. (See website for full answer)

3.For large practices, will there be a method to register all of the EPs at one time for the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs? Can EPs allow another person to register or attest for them?
At this time there is no method available for a third party to register multiple EPs for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. (See website for full answer)

FAQ Highlights: Registration Questions

To help ensure that your registration process goes smoothly and for your easy reference, we have provided answers below to two of the most common registration questions from our FAQs found on the CMS website.

1.How will EPs and eligible hospitals apply for incentives under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Program?
Registration for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs began on January 3, 2011. However, the Medicaid Incentive Program is rolled out on a state-by-state basis. An updated schedule of state-planned Medicaid Incentive Program start dates can be found on the CMS website.

2.If a hospital is eligible to participate in both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, how should they register?
If a hospital meets all of the following qualifications, it is dually-eligible for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs:

  • It is a subsection(d) hospital in the 50 U.S. States or the District of Columbia, or you are a Critical Access Hospital (CAH), and
  • It has a CMS Certification Number ending in 0001-0879 or 1300-1399, and
  • It has 10% of patient volume derived from Medicaid encounters.

Any hospitals that meet these three qualifications, must register for "Both Medicare & Medicaid" when registering for the programs.

We will keep you informed of future updates to our FAQs throughout the duration of the CMS EHR Incentive Programs.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?
Make sure to visit the CMS EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.

EHR Incentive Programs – Act Now

Did you know incentive payments are available to certain physicians that adopt certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology and show they′ve used it to help improve quality, safety, and effectiveness of care?

Starting this year, Medicare and Medicaid will provide significant incentive payments to health care professionals. Doctors and other health care providers that sign up for the Medicare incentive program in 2011 or 2012 can receive up to $44,000 per provider over the life of the program. So, an office with three doctors could receive up to $152,000. Some Medicaid providers can receive much more.

Who is Eligible?

The Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs have slightly different eligibility requirements. Eligible professionals under the Medicare program include:

  • Doctor of medicine or osteopathy
  • Doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine
  • Doctor of podiatry
  • Doctor of optometry
  • Chiropractor

Eligible professionals under the Medicaid program include:

  • Physicians (primarily doctors of medicine and doctors of osteopathy)
  • Nurse practitioner
  • Certified nurse-midwife
  • Dentist
  • Physician assistant who furnishes services in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Clinic that is led by a physician assistant.

In addition, eligible professionals who wish to participate in the Medicaid program have to meet certain volume thresholds:

  • Have a minimum 30% Medicaid patient volume*
  • Have a minimum 20% Medicaid patient volume, and is a pediatrician*
  • Practice predominantly in a Federally Qualified Health Center or Rural Health Center and have a minimum 30% patient volume attributable to needy individuals

    • * Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) patients do not count toward the Medicaid patient volume criteria


If you are eligible for both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, you must choose which one to participate in when you register. Before 2015, you may switch programs only once after the first incentive payment is initiated. Most eligible professionals will maximize their incentive payments by participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.

The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs are new and separate programs from other active CMS incentive programs, such as the Physicians Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) and the MIPPA E-Prescribing Incentive Program. A physician who chooses to participate in the Medicare EHR incentive program cannot receive incentive payments from the MIPAA E-prescribing incentive program.


What is Certified EHR Technology?

Both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs require the use of certified EHR technology. Standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria have been adopted by the Department of Health and Human Services. EHR technology must be tested and certified by an Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ATCB) in order for a provider to qualify for EHR incentive payments; even if you are already using EHR technology, it must be tested and certified by an ONC-ATCB specifically for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

EHR technologies that meet the certification requirements for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs are listed on the ONC Web site at http://onc-chpl.force.com/ehrcert. Keep in mind that you do not need to have your certified EHR technology in place in order to register for the EHR incentive programs! However, you must adopt, implement, upgrade, or successfully demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program and successfully demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program before you can receive an EHR incentive payment.


Registration

Registration for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program is now open. The Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs can also begin this year, but Pennsylvania has not yet implemented its program. Registering for the Electronic Health Record Incentives only takes a few simple steps.

Before an eligible professional can register, you must be sure to have a national provider identifier (NPI) number, and, for the Medicare incentive program only, have an enrollment record in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS). If you aren′t sure if you have a record in PECOS, you can check online at https://pecos.cms.hhs.gov/pecos/login.do or contact Highmark Medicare Services at 1-866-488-0549, option 1.

Once you are sure that you have an enrollment record in Medicare′s system, online registration is easy. Be sure to have the following documents handy:

  • ational Provider Identifier (NPI).
  • National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES) User ID and Password.
  • Payee Tax Identification Number (if you are reassigning your benefits to a group).
  • Payee National Provider Identifier (NPI)(if you are reassigning your benefits).

Please be aware that eligible professionals currently are not permitted to allow a practice manager or any other person to register in their place. Sharing your NPPES user ID and password can place your information at risk. However, beginning in May 2011, CMS plans to allow an eligible professional to designate a third party who can register and attest on behalf of an eligible professional. States may not necessarily offer the same functionality for the Medicaid incentive program.

To start the online registration process, simply point your web browser to https://ehrincentives.cms.gov/hitech/login.action and select the link titled “Eligible Professionals”


Attestation:

In order to earn the incentive payments in 2011, you will be asked to attest that you have been utilizing certified electronic health record technology in a meaningful way. Attestation will begin in April, with initial incentive payments made in May.


Payment Adjustments:

If you do not sign up for either the Medicare or Medicaid incentive program, and therefore do not successfully demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology, your Medicare physician fee schedule amount for covered professional services will be adjusted beginning in 2015. The payment adjustments will be as follows:

  • 2015–99 percent of Medicare physician fee schedule covered amount
  • 2016–98 percent of Medicare physician fee schedule covered amount
  • 2017 and each subsequent year–97 percent of Medicare physician fee schedule covered amount

The Recovery Act allows for a hardship exception, which, if applicable, could exempt certain eligible professionals from the payment adjustment. The exemption is subject to annual renewal, but in no case will it be given for more than five years.

Resources:
To learn more about the programs, visit the official EHR Incentive Program Web site at www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms.

The sooner you act, the more you can receive.



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