Resource Centers:(News, information, and tools to support your practice)
March 2009
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Why you need an EHR solution now more than ever
By Julie Duck
It’s official – President Barack Obama signed a $787 billion economic stimulus package in February, the provisions of which include changes in how Medicare is billed, as well as a mandate for electronic health records (EHR). To protect yourself from insurers today, and government penalties tomorrow, you need to have an EHR solution in place now. Have you made the switch?
The lowdown
A new federal incentive program, part of the stimulus, is geared toward making physicians – including chiropractors - compliant with an electronic health records system. This program begins in January 2011, and will allow you to be eligible for incentive payments that could total more than $40,000 to meet EHR standards created by the United States Department of Health and Human Services. To be eligible for the two programs slated for EHR reimbursement, Medicare and Medicaid, you must already have an EHR system in place before the program begins. You will also need to bill a certain amount toward Medicare and see a specified percentage of Medicaid patients in order to qualify. For more details, visit the Chiropractic Economics blog.
The total amount invested in this portion of the stimulus bill is $19 billion – quite a number to implement such a program. However, should you not have your EHR solution in place by 2016, you could be slapped with penalties. For you, the costs can be infinitesimal should you choose not to comply.
The mandate approaches
There will be incentives with Medicare and Medicaid payments to begin in 2011 for those who are “meaningful users” of EHR. To be a “meaningful user,” you must satisfy three criteria¹:
• The physician must use “certified EHR technology” in a meaningful manner, including electronic prescribing. The law calls for creation of a health information technology (HIT) Policy Committee, and an HIT Standards Committee. The HIT Policy Committee will focus on development of a nationwide health information infrastructure, while the HIT Standards Committee will recommend standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) is to adopt an initial set of standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria before December 31, 2009.
• The physician must demonstrate that the certified EHR technology is connected in a manner that provides for the electronic exchange of health information to improve the quality of health care, such as promoting care coordination.
• The physician must submit information
By meeting the government’s EHR mandate, you save yourself unnecessary future penalties. If you’re not a “meaningful user” of EHR you will see a decline in Medicare payments, starting with a 1 percent reduction in your fee schedule amount, which then increases to 2 percent, and 3 percent and so on with each year. There may be hardship cases for those who do not implement an EHR solution by 2017, such as those doctors whose practices are in rural areas without access to the Internet.
Why you need an EHR solution… now
In 2008, experts could not stress enough the coming mandate that all health records become computerized. Dire warning signs, fingers pointing to 2013, 2014, 2015 as the year you “better get in gear” or else. Now, with the recently-signed stimulus package, you have a date in which to dance with EHR destiny.
Mandate or not, an EHR solution can make your life easier. By bringing together scheduling, SOAP notes, treatment planning, billing, patient records and tracking, forms and other statistics, you instantly have your fingers on the files. This helps considerably when an insurer requests information, or a lawyer shows up at your door. Some of the programs available today offer touchscreen, tablet or PDA capabilities to make using them even easier.
Additionally, if you deal with insurance companies, then you know how particular they are about documentation. If your notes are handwritten, chances are good that you risk being audited. If your documentation does not match what you billed for, look out, because the insurer will assume that all of your patient billing does not match the notes, and actually go after you for fraud - not a pretty picture.
If you begin your research into the program that is right for you – today – you will have the assurance that you not only will be prepared for the coming mandate, but able to face any demand for instant information. Remember - the quality of your records could very well keep you in business – or not.
Sources
1. King, Patricia. Stimulus Package and EMR Use By Physicians. www.netdoc.com/Physician-Practice-Articles/General-Medical-Practice/Stimulus-package-and-EMR-use-by-physicians/ 2009.
Julie Duck is the former editor of Chiropractic Products and a healthcare writer with more than 16 years of experience. She can be reached by e-mail at juliechiro@cox.net
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Comments
Location: usa
I work with chiropractors on a daily basis and many of them do not have an EHR in place.