FMQAI Health eNotes September 2010

The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT), Chicago, Ill. and the Drummond Group Inc. (DGI), Austin, Texas, were named by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) as the first technology review bodies that have been authorized to test and certify electronic health record (EHR) systems for compliance with the standards and certification criteria that were issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this year.

Announcement of these ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Bodies (ONC-ATCBs) means that EHR vendors can now begin to have their products certified as meeting criteria to support meaningful use, a key step in the national initiative to encourage adoption and effective use of EHRs by America's health care providers.

Applications for additional ONC-ATCBs are also under review.

Certification of EHRs is part of a broad initiative undertaken by Congress and President Obama under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. HITECH created new incentive payment programs to help health providers as they transition from paper-based medical records to EHRs. Incentive payments totaling as much as $27 billion may be made under the program. Individual physicians and other eligible professionals can receive up to $44,000 through Medicare and almost $64,000 through Medicaid. Hospitals can receive millions.

New Section Page Added to the Physician

Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) Webpage

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce a new section on "How to Get Started" in participating with the PQRI program, is available on PQRI webpage. The new section page can be found on PQRI webpage at:

http://www.cms.gov/PQRI/03_How_To_Get_Started.asp on the CMS website.

2010 PQRI 1st Quarter Data Codes Submission

Error Report by Specialty

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce the 2010 PQRI 1st Quarter Data Codes Submission Error Report by Specialty for January 1, 2010 - March 31, 2010 is available on the PQRI webpage on the CMS website.

To access this downloadable report, visit...

Payment Adjustment for Newly Incentive

Eligible Professionals for the 2008 PQRI

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is pleased to announce information on payment adjustments for newly incentive eligible professionals for the 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) program is posted on the Spotlight page of the PQRI webpage at http://www.cms.gov/PQRI on the CMS website.

Upcoming incentive payment distributions-payment adjustment for newly incentive eligible professionals for the 2008 PQRI after incorporation of the allowed charges requirement:

Distribution of this additional 2008 incentive, for those newly incentive eligible, begins August 25, 2010 and ends September 17, 2010 (late August through mid September).

There is a total of 889 TIN/NPIs who were not incentive eligible in the 2008 PQRI program but who are newly incentive eligible after incorporation of the allowed charges requirement.

Now Available on the CMS EHR Incentive

Programs Website

Get up-to-date and accurate information about the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs from CMS at http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentiveprograms/.

Visit the website to get specifics about the program and download the latest tip sheets.

Tip Sheets for Eligible Professionals will provide descriptions on which types of individual practitioners can participate in the EHR incentive programs. It provides user friendly information about incentive payment amounts and describes how they are calculated for fee for service and Medicare advantage providers. It also describes payment adjustments beginning in 2015 for EPs who are not meaningful users of certified EHR technology. Also learn what opportunities are available to Medicare Eligible Professionals to receive incentive payments for participating in more than one Medicare initiatives (i.e. Medicare EHR Incentive Program, PQRI and E-Prescribing. You will find information on eligibility, timeframes, and maximum payments for each program.

To access these tip sheets click: http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentiveprograms/ then follow the instructions below:

Select the "Medicare Eligible Professional" tab on the left, then scroll to "Downloads."

Select the "Medicaid Eligible Professional" tab on the left, then scroll to "Downloads."

Select the "Medicare Advantage" tab on the left, then scroll to "Downloads."