The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (CCME) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are partnering to offer a Physician’s Quality Reporting System (PQRS) assistance program. The NCMS urges its members to take part in the program, as it will help physicians avoid the penalties associated with electronic health record (EHR) system implementation. Services offered by CCME to practices using a PQRS-certified EHR are free and give providers the opportunity to earn a 0.5 percent bonus based on their Medicare Part B allowed charges.

CCME will assist practices to track their quality data collection and provide support in effectively using these measures for quality improvement. If you are using one of the 20 EHRs qualified to report PQRS data with the EHR option, contact Kristin Ferriter, CCME Care Improvement Specialist, at 800-682-2650 or kferriter@thecarolinascenter.org to enroll in the program and for additional information.

Members can also contact Terri Gonzalez, NCMS Practice Technical Assistance Coordinator, at 919-833-3836 or tgonzalez@ncmedsoc.org for any questions regarding health information technology (HIT).

A new paper released by the Brookings Institution finds that many barriers remain even though states have made progress toward establishing health information exchanges (HIEs). Authors Darrell West and Allan Friedman say progress includes establishing organizational frameworks, developing technology-based connections, and bringing relevant stakeholders to the table for discussion. However, they find that governance, financing and policy vision are among the barriers that remain to be addressed.

Mr. Friedman is a Fellow in Governance Studies, and Mr. West is Vice President and Director of Governance Studies, at Brookings. An Executive Summary of Health Information Exchanges and Megachange includes a link to the full paper.

The NCMS and its Foundation, along with several physician members, are actively involved in the development of an HIE in North Carolina. The following NCMS Foundation staff members are available to assist you with questions about the HIE and Health Information Technology (HIT) development, including Electronic Health Records (EHRs):

Melanie Phelps, Associate Executive Director, mphelps@ncmedsoc.org

Franklin Walker, Director of Programs and Practice Management, fwalker@ncmedsoc.org

Terri Gonzalez, Practice Technical Assistance Coordinator, tgonzalez@ncmedsoc.og.

See related articles and resources:

NCMS Actively Engaged in Health Information Exchange Developments (Bulletin, 9-23-11)

Products & Services offered by NCMS PractEssentials on the North Carolina Health Information Exchange.

NCMS Health Information Technology (HIT) Resource Center

The North Carolina Medical Society is urging its members to please pay attention to the following information regarding Medicare’s 2012 e-Prescribing (eRx) Program:

• Providers who plan to participate in the Medicare eRx program must report the G8553 code with any billing code on a minimum of 10 encounters, beginning from Saturday, January 1, 2012, through Saturday, June 30, 2012. This information can only be submitted via Medicare claims. The penalty for not participating in e-prescribing is a 1.5 percent payment adjustment.
  
• Providers who would like to receive the Medicare eRx incentive must submit a minimum of 25 encounters, beginning from Saturday, January 1, 2012, through Monday, December 31, 2012. This information should also be submitted via claims and using the G8553 code.  Participating in this incentive will exempt providers from any 2014 payment adjustments. The 2012 incentive payment will be 1 percent.
• If for some reason a provider is not going to participate in the Medicare eRx program, they have until Saturday, June 30, 2012, to submit a hardship exemption. There will be four hardship exemptions for 2012.

Medicare has been offering eRx incentives for a few years now. If you begin e-prescribing, instead of getting penalties you will receive rewards. Questions or concerns regarding the Medicare eRx Program can be directed to Terri Gonzalez (tgonzalez@ncmedsoc.org), NCMSF Practice Technical Assistance Coordinator, or Kristin Freeman (kfreeman@ncmedsoc.org), Member Resource Center Coordinator, at (919) 833-3836.

Specialists, did you know that you can claim exclusions to meaningful use criteria that do not apply to your specialty? Or that you can benefit from flexibility in reporting requirements for Quality Measures?

Please join the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation for a webinar on Wednesday, February 22, 2012, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, which will provide an overview of the Meaningful Use Requirements for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Electronic Health Records (EHR) incentive payments pertaining to Specialists. The webinar is free, but registration is required. The deadline to register is Monday, February 20, 2012.

The NCMS recommends that practices register for CMS’ Meaningful Use Incentives as well as North Carolina Medicaid incentives, if they have not done so already.

Click here to register for the webinar. Questions can be directed to Terri Gonzalez, NCMSF Practice Technical Assistance Coordinator, at (919) 865-5251 or tgonzalez@ncmedsoc.org.

The NCMS is interested in learning about your experiences and perspective regarding electronic health records (EHR), both good and bad. Please share your experiences with us and encourage your colleagues to do the same. Your feedback will help us understand the best way to organize our advocacy efforts on behalf of our member physicians and physician assistants. Your NCMS and the NCMS Foundation are involved in numerous physician-oriented projects designed to make the best use of EHR and related technology. Help us push in the right direction! Enter your feedback in the comment section, below, or contact us directly by email at kfreeman@ncmedsoc.org.

Attention small, rural and urban primary care practices in North Carolina! The NCMS wants you to know that you may be eligible for a collaborative loan program that provides funds to assist with the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). The program is administered through the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCHHS) Office of Health Information Technology (HIT), the North Carolina Medical Society Foundation (NCMSF) and the Center for Community Self-Help.

Funds may be used to purchase certified EHR technology or to upgrade existing equipment to meet certification criteria, train staff to use the technology or improve the secure exchange of health information through the North Carolina Health Information Exchange (NCHIE). Loan size (average of $40,000 – $60,000) will be based on the practice’s need for equipment and training. Those serving a disproportionate number of Medicaid/Medicare and indigent patients will be given top priority.

The NCMSF urges physicians to take advantage of this opportunity as it will make the transition to EHRs more efficient and less time consuming. Click here for pre-qualification information, applications and additional details. For more information, contact Terri Gonzalez, NCMSF Practice Technical Assistance Coordinator, at tgonzalez@ncmedsoc.org or 919-833-3836. The NCMSF works with applicants to complete the loan application, provide technical assistance and financial guidance.

The Loan Fund was previously funded by the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund.

A new regulation announced Thursday by the US Department of Health and Human Services establishes Electronic Funds Transfers (EFT) standards that, when implemented by health plans, will save physician practices and hospitals between $3 billion to $4.5 billion over the next ten years. The rule—the Adoption of Standards for Health Care Electronic Funds Transfers and Remittance Advice—creates streamlined standards for a health plan to follow when paying claims to a provider electronically and to issue a Remittance Advice notice. Remittance Advice is a notice of payment sent to providers that may or may not accompany the payment the provider receives.

The NCMS is a strong proponent of federal initiatives to alleviate the administrative burden placed on physician practices. HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, as a result of the rule, health care professionals will spend less time filling out paperwork and more time focusing on delivering the best care for patients.

Physicians spend about 12 cents of every dollar they receive from patients to cover the costs of filling out forms and performing other administrative tasks, according to a May 2010 study in the journal Health Affairs. Researchers found that simplifying these systems could save four hours a week of a physician’s professional time and five hours of support staff time.

The new EFT rule is the second in a series of regulations required by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The first—Adoption of Operating Rules for Eligibility for a Health Plan and Health Care Claim Status—was adopted last June and set standards for how physicians and other health care providers use electronic systems to determine a patient’s eligibility for health coverage and check on the status of a claim.

HHS is working on further administrative simplification rules that will include a standard unique identifier for health plans, a standard for claims attachments, and requirements that health plans certify compliance with all HIPAA standards and operating rules.

Click here to view the HHS News Release on streamlining electronic funds transfers in health care.

The latest national report card on electronic health record (EHR) adoption shows that 56.9 percent of physician practices are using electronic health records (EHRs) for more than just billing. That’s nearly a 7 percent increase over the findings of a similar survey conducted in 2010 (50.7%), by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is part of the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.

Of those responding to the survey, 52 percent indicated that their practice planned to apply for federal EHR incentive payments, up from 41 percent a year earlier. NCHS has been measuring EHR adoption since 2008. The latest survey involved a sample of 10,301 physicians and took place between February and June 2011. Read more about the NCHS survey here.

Information and resources for adoption of EHR systems is available through the NCMS PractEssentials program. For additional assistance, please contact Terri Gonzalez, (tgonzalez@ncmedsoc.org) or Franklin Walker (fwalker@ncmedsoc.org) at 800-722-1350.

Physicians who have already attested for Medicaid’s Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Incentive Program and who are looking for their Incentive check should contact the Attestation Help Line at (866) 844-1113 to get the status of their EHR Incentive money.

Click here to learn about the EHR Incentive Program.

Physicians can also refer to the following article for more information regarding the incentive program: Updated EHR Incentive Programs FAQs Now Available,  Bulletin, 11-4-11).

General EHR Incentive Program questions can be directed to Terri Gonzalez, Practice Technical Assistance Coordinator at (919) 833-3836 or tgonzalez@ncmedsoc.org or the NCMS Member Resource Center at kfreeman@ncmedsoc.org.

NCMS would like to remind physicians that eligible health care professionals who electronically prescribe (eRx) for all patients and report the electronic prescribing measure for at least 25 Medicare eligible visits before the end of the year will qualify for the one percent incentive for 2011 and will be exempt from the payment adjustment for 2013!

For more information about the eRx Incentive Program, refer to the following articles:

Nov. 1 Deadline for Medicare eRx Exemption Just Days Away, Bulletin, Oct. 21, 2011

2011 Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program Made Simple, 10-27-11

Questions regarding the eRx Incentive Program can be addressed to Terri Gonzalez, Practice Technical Assistance Coordinator, at 919-833-3836 or tgonzalez@ncmedsoc.org or the Member Resource Center (MRC) at kfreeman@ncmedsoc.org.

Physicians will receive an overview of the Health Information Technology (HIT) landscape in North Carolina when they participate in the Health IT webinar, hosted by Care Share Health Alliance, on Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm. The presenter will be Steve Cline, DDS, MPH, Assistant Secretary for Health Information Technology, NC Department of Health and Human Services. The presentation will cover HIT components, the federal HIT landscape, an overview of Electronic Health Records (EHR), and other related topics. Dr. Cline has been actively involved with HIT development, including the NC Health Information Exchange (NC HIE).

Space is limited so please reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/793891384. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended the deadline for physicians to file for an e-Prescribing (eRx) Hardship Exemption to Tuesday, November 8, 2011. The new deadline was announced Tuesday (day of the original deadline), after the AMA notified CMS that some physicians were having difficulty accessing the CMS Communications Support Page.

The link for filing a hardship exemption is found at: https://www.qualitynet.org/portal/server.pt/community/communications_support_system/234. (In checking the link, the NCMS noticed there may be a slight delay before the web page appears).

CMS and the QualityNet Help Desk have found that the problem with accessing the webpage is related to an issue with the Internet browser. CMS asks that eligible professionals take the step below if they are unsuccessful in accessing the Communication Support Page when trying to submit their Hardship Exemption Request:

If you have trouble accessing the site, the QualityNet Help Desk may be reached at 1-866-288-8912, or email at gnetsupport@sdps.org from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Central Time. Please keep in mind that you may experience a waiting period due to a high volume of calls.

The hardship exemption categories include:

• Your practice is located in a rural area without highspeed internet access;
• Your practice is located in an area without sufficient available pharmacies for e-Prescribing (CMS clarified by providing more examples including disruption of e-prescriptions between physician offices and pharmacies caused by natural disasters);
• You are registered to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) Incentive Program and you adopted certified EHR technology by October 1, 2011, and did so prior to requesting an exemption;
• You are unable to electronically prescribe due to local, state or federal law or regulation, (CMS clarified that physicians who mainly prescribe narcotics but due to certain limitations cannot submit these prescriptions electronically can apply for this exemption category);
• Limited prescribing (you do not prescribe on a regular basis); and
• There were too few opportunities for you to report the e-Prescribing measure due to limitations of the measure’s denominator (you do e-prescribe but your electronic prescriptions are not related to qualifying visits/services).

For more information about the CMS Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program, please visit www.cms.gov/erxincentive/.

This week, internet-based news service WorkCompCentral.com® published an article about the North Carolina Industrial Commission’s and the General Assembly’s recent actions to require electronic billing and payment processes in the workers’ compensation system. The article highlighted the efforts of the North Carolina Medical Society as a driving force behind this development.

In June the Industrial Commission voted to require insurance carriers and providers to develop and implement electronic billing and payment processes, a decision long sought by the NCMS. Less than two weeks later, the Governor signed HB 709, a workers’ compensation reform bill that directed the Industrial Commission to issue rules on electronic billing and payment.

Author Mike Whiteley’s article notes that only a handful of other states have mandated the use of electronic filing and payment in the workers’ compensation system. The NCMS will continue to work closely with the Industrial Commission as the rulemaking process gets underway. We will provide updates on activities and developments at http://www.ncmedsoc.org/payor_issues/workers_compensation.html and in the Bulletin.

You must have a subscription to view the full article at WorkCompCentral.com®:

http://ww3.workcompcentral.com/news/story/id/30935f9278a6c2373a5c4ed8c264035fm

See related story:

NC Industrial Commission Delivers on E-Billing and Electronic Payment in Workers Comp, Bulletin, 6-17-11

The Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentives Program of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is now providing updated information for physicians and others participating in the EHR Incentives Program. The new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) include information about clinical quality measures (CQMs), meaningful use, attestation, and other related topics.

Click here to read the updated FAQs.

Are you on Facebook? Click here to view the NCMS Facebook page and view photos from the 2011 NCMS Annual Meeting. Be sure to “like” us while you’re there!

Prefer Twitter? Follow NCMS President Robert “Charlie” W. Monteiro, MD, on Twitter @NCMSPresident for updates regarding NCMS issues and activities. You can also follow NCMS on Twitter @NCMedSoc.