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| My Vision Express and the HITECH Act EMR Reimbursements |
July 2010 Update
On July 13, 2010 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced two complementary final rules to implement the electronic health records (EHR) incentive program under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.
In a nutshell, the final CMS rule specifies initial criteria that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet to demonstrate meaningful use and qualify for incentive payments. While the final ONC rule sets initial standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHR technology under the incentive program.
The final ONC rule also defines how the certifying bodies, or ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB), will be created. ONC began accepting applications from entities that seek approval as an ONC-Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) on July 1, 2010. ONC projects that certified EHR software will be available for purchase by eligible professionals starting in the fall of 2010.
Existing certifying bodies such as CCHIT, will be required to go through the ONC- ATCB approval process along with any new applicants. Any EHR software that is currently certified by CCHIT will be required get a certification from an accredited ONC- ATCB.
Fact Sheet: Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs: Title IV
of Recovery Act (June 16, 2010)
___________________________________________________________________________________________ December 2009 Update On December 30, 2009 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the Notice of Proposed Rule Making on Meaningful Use and the Interim Final Rule for Implementation & Certification Criteria of Electronic Health Records technology. The 556 and 139 page documents define what Eligible Professionals (EP) will have to do to collect EHR reimbursement payments, and what the EHRs need to do in order to be certified. After a public comment period on the Proposed Rule that ends on March 15, the law should become final by fall 2010. The Interim Final rule, which will also define how the EHR certifying bodies will be created, is expected to be final by fall 2010 also. Because the process is still in flux, Insight Software is waiting until the laws and rules become final before applying for certification. In the past year, Insight Software has enhanced My Vision Express to include all of the requirements stated so far for EHR certification. Features such as PQRI and ePrescribing are already included in the current version. Once the law becomes final in May, Insight Software will conduct a feature review to insure compliance with the final requirements. An application for certification will then be submitted to one of the approved certifying bodies. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
There's been a lot of buzz lately about the reimbursements for EHR use announced in the HITECH Act of the recently passed Stimulus Act (ARRA). A maximum benefit of $44,000 over six years is certainly buzz-worthy and has many doctors scouring the software landscape for the right EHR/EMR system. To qualify, doctors must meet several requirements. First, it must be a “certified” EHR. While there are some certifications already established, such as for Ambulatory EHR’s, many specialties are not yet certified, including Eye Care EHR’s. Regardless of what any Eye Care EHR/EMR software companies claim, there is yet no certification for Eye Care EHR's. Until now EHR certification has been handled by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT), however the ARRA bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to establish the definition of a certified EHR by Dec. 31, 2009. Meanwhile CCHIT has laid out their timeline for defining additional certifications, and the proposed schedule for Eye Care EHR is: Research in 2009, Development in 2010, and certification launch in 2011. See: http://www.cchit.org/files/Expansion/CCHITExpansionRoadmapDRAFT20090115.pdf Whether the final certification comes from the Department of Health and Human Services or CCHIT, My Vision Express is committed to meet or exceed any future certification requirements. And, we even guarantee it! Keep reading for more details. The other requirement to qualify for the reimbursements is to demonstrate “meaningful use” of an EHR. According to the current definition, “meaningful use” requires three components:
The reimbursement schedule is weighed towards the early years. Those that adopt EMR in 2011 and 2012 get the maximum $44,000 benefit. Physicians operating in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) may qualify for an additional 10% reimbursement. HITECH ACT – EMR Reimbursement Schedule
The reimbursements are based on 75% of your Medicare Part B claims. To get the maximum $18,000 reimbursement in 2011, for example, you would have to bill at least $24,000 to Medicare. There are also additional Medicare benefits available in 2009 and 2010. Those using ePrescribing can qualify for a 2% Medicare rebate up to a yearly maximum of $5,000. Another 2% is available up to a yearly maximum of $5,000 for Physicians that are reporting PQRI.
RESOURCES: HITECH website: http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt HITECH Act (PDF): http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/hitech.pdf HITECH Implementation Plan: http://www.hhs.gov/recovery/reports/plans/onc_hit.pdf CCHIT Expansion Schedule: http://www.cchit.org/files/Expansion/CCHITExpansionRoadmapDRAFT20090115.pdf Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA): http://www.hpsafind.hrsa.gov
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I
think the software team behind My Vision Express is the most attentive
group of people I have ever dealt with. They respond to the issues
promptly and encourage suggestions from their users to improve the
product ...
Insight Software now guarantees that My Vision Express will achieve the
required certification for Doctors using the system to qualify for the
EHR/EMR reimbursements. Otherwise we will refund 100% of your purchase
price.