EHR Meaningful Use Bonus Checks Go Out
In the first two weeks of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services incentive program, $75 million was paid out in bonuses for the meaningful use of electronic medical records.
CMS announced mid-May that more than 300 physicians, hospitals and other eligible EMR users qualified for the first stage of the meaningful use incentive program and received payments.
Starting [...]
ZirMed Acknowledged by EHNAC and Participates in CMS HIPAA 5010 Testing Day
ZirMed, Harmony Healhcare IT’s provider of revenue cycle management solutions, has recently been recognized by the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), an independent, self-governing body which evaluates performance criteria for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), for achieving the requirements of the EHNAC HIPAA 5010 Readiness Assessment Program. Additionally, ZirMed was a major participant in the Centers for Medicare [...]
Delay EHR Meaningful Use Stage 2 for Those That Attest in 2011?
According to Health Data Management, the meaningful use workgroup of the Health I.T. Policy Committee, which advises the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, is recommending that Stage 2 of electronic health records be delayed by one year to 2014 for providers who attest to Stage 1 meaningful use in 2011.
The rationale [...]
CMS Adds New EHR Meaningful Use FAQs
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released new frequently asked questions about the electronic health records meaningful use incentive program. The questions cover providing patients with an electronic copy of health information and counting patients not seen by the eligible provider.
The complete questions and answers are:
Question: To meet the meaningful use objective “provide [...]
5010 & ICD-10 Are Coming — Are You Ready?
ZirMed, our revenue cycle management partner, has made an online ”5010 Resource Center” available to you. The site includes
an overview of the HIPAA Version 5010/D.0 final rule
the key decision that your practice will need to make regarding 5010
ZirMed’s role in helping you comply with the 5010 mandate
which transactions will be affected
steps to ensure the readiness of [...]
Medicare Issuing EHR Meaningful Use Incentive Checks
This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will start issuing the first Medicare incentive checks for meaningful use of electronic health records.
Providers receiving meaningful use incentives will be paid the same way they receive payment for Medicare services, either through an electronic funds transfer or paper check. Payments will appear on the bank [...]
36 Percent of Office-based Physicians are E-Prescribing
According to a Surescripts report, e-prescribing is now used by 36 percent of office-based physicians in the U.S.
The number of prescribers routing prescriptions electronically grew from 74,000 at the end of 2008 to 234,000 by the end of 2010 - representing 34 percent of all office-based prescribers and 36 percent of office-based physicians. E-prescribing adoption [...]
EHR Meaningful Use Attestation Opens April 18, 2011
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Electronic Health Records Incentive Program “meaningful use” verification period opens today. This allows providers who are demonstrating meaningful using of electronic health record (EHR) systems to submit for reimbursement as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
There are three stages of meaningful use under the [...]
Upcoming CMS EHR Incentive Program Dates
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ EHR Incentive Program has registered over 25,000 eligible physicians and hospitals, and, it has paid out over $37 million so far.
Here are some upcoming events and milestone dates to keep on your radar:
April 1, 2011: CMS will host a national provider education call for eligible professionals about registration [...]
Interoperability “the next peak” says Blumenthal
As reported by the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS), National Coordinator for Health IT Dr. David Blumenthal highlighted Interoperability as the primary focus of the U.S. government’s Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) and the Health Information Technology (HIT) Standards Committee.
Dr. Blumenthal commented that “the next peak” for ONC [...]
Registration for EHR Incentive Programs Begins Today
Registration through CMS for EHR Incentive Programs begins today, January 3, 2011. Early participation will yield maximum incentive payments, so, register today even if your certified EHR system is not yet installed.
To learn more about using certified EHR technology, being a meaningful user and attesting for incentive payments, go to the CMS [...]
ZirMed’s 2011 Thrive Virtual User Conference
Thrive, offered 2/9 from 9am-5pm, is ZirMed’s first web-based client conference dedicated to assisting clients in using ZirMed’s solutions more efficiently and completely and understanding the continuously evolving healthcare industry.
Any ZirMed customer is invited to attend. There are multiple tracks available and attendees have the option to switch between tracks [...]
Doctors Exempt from Red Flags Rule
The President recently signed “red flags” legislation that makes doctors exempt from the anti-identity theft requirements and safeguards that banks and other creditors must follow.
This amendment to the Fair Credit Reporting Act is primarily a definition of the term “creditor.” Confusion over the definition of “creditor” resulted in a Federal Trade Commission position that physician practices and other [...]
CMS Testing Systems to Manage Attestations and Payment for Meaningful Use of EHRs
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is in the final testing stages for systems to manage the registration, attestation and payments to healthcare providers participating in the meaningful use program. According to an article in Government Health IT, the CMS administrative systems are due to go into production in January, when the incentive program kicks off,
Providers who want [...]
Meaningful Use Talks for 2013 Begin
According to this article from Government Health IT, Health & Human Services Department officials are considering measures for the second stage of meaningful use even before healthcare providers get started on tackling the 2011 first stage requirements of the incentive program.
The Health IT Policy Committee wants to prepare recommendations on 2013 meaningful use criteria by [...]
Final Rule on Meaningful Use of EHRs Published by HHS
The 864-page final rule for meaningful use of electronic health records has been posted by The Department of Health and Human Services.
Meaningful Use Rule for EHR to be Published Tomorrow
The Office of Management and Budget has finished reviewing the meaningful use rule, which was the final step before publication. It is now reported that The Department of Health and Human Services will release the final meaningful use rule tomorrow. Accompanying the meaningful use final rule with be a final rule setting data standards, implementation specifications [...]
CMS Launches Website for EHR Incentives
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently launched a website aimed at educating eligible healthcare professionals on electronic health record (EHR) incentives. View the website.
Berwick Nominated for Medicaid-Medicare Post
President Obama will nominate health-care scholar Donald Berwick to oversee Medicare and Medicaid, the nation’s health insurance programs for the elderly and the poor, an administration official said Saturday.
Berwick, who runs the nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Massachusetts, will be tapped as the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a position [...]
House Passes Health Reform Legislation
On March 21, 2010, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Also passed was H.R. 4872, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, which contains additional refinements. Historically speaking, these two bills are perceived to be as important as the creation of the Medicare program.
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