medical billing:EHR-"Meaningful use" What does this mean?
Posted by Patrick Ales on Mon, May 16, 2011 @ 08:00 AM
Many physician practices all over the country are in a scramble to get their Electronic Health Record (EHR) not only purchased , but installed and functioning.
I offer some words of warning here as you begin looking or are in the process of obtaining your EHR at this time. Information shared at the Florida MGMA conference last week suggest that some software companies may be taking advantage of physician practices across the country!
First lets look at some key items you need to know before I share this information with you.
For a limited time, Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs will pay eligible health care professionals to prove Meaningful Use. Eligible Professionals can earn up to $44k from Medicare or up to $63,750 from Medicaid.
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| To qualify for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) require eligible professionals to demonstrate Meaningful Use within the following time period: |
| Earliest date to begin demonstrating Meaningful Use and qualify for the maximum Medicare incentive payments |
Latest date to begin Meaningful Use and qualify for the maximum Medicare incentive payments |
Latest date to begin Meaningful Use and receive any Medicare incentive payment |
2011 (1/1/11)
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2012 (10/1/12) |
2014 (10/1/14) |
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Eligible health care professionals are wise to thoroughly prepare before attempting to demonstrate Meaningful Use within the required 90-day reporting period. Though this is only for the users for year one 2011. Anyone after that beginning in 2012, will have to monitor data for a total of 12 months before eligibility to take advantage of the funds. You are not able to double dip in any given year, in other words you can receive dollars from Medicaid or Medicare during any given year.
So, here is where the problem comes in to play. The meaningful use will be in 3 different phases: phase 1-in 2011, phase 2-in 2013, and phase 3-in 2015. It has been noted that software vendors are charging reasonable prices for phase-1 technology, but when it is time for the later phases to be implemented the cost increases dramatically.
So you are asking yourself, what can I do about this? First of all, do your research. Look at multiple products to compare pricing and services. See if all 3 phases are included in your package. Read the fine print in your contract. If you need guidance, it is worth the cost to bring in some consulting help to assist you. Ask for help getting all set up and compliant with meaningful use guidelines so you can take advantage of these funds available to you. Contact MedPro Solutions today for a free analysis of services we can provide to bring you up to speed.
Click this link below for a copy of our white paper article:
10 Steps To A Successful Billing Process
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