The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (HR1) Explained Simply:
Below you will find the detailed language explaining the incentive available for Podiatrists to deploy Health Information Technology and use an EMR application prior to 2011. Podiatrists will be eligible for $44,000 in bonus dollars over the course of 5 years (see table). If Podiatrists do not deploy and use EMR prior to 2015 they will begin to be penalized via reduced payments from Medicare. Still to be determined by the task force established via the legislation is what will be the certification process for EMR technologies and how doctors will receive the bonus funds (Cash, Tax Credit, etc.) These final details will be published before the end of calendar year 2009. The key take-away is that anyone who plans to still be practicing in 2011 and beyond needs to begin deploying and using an EMR system.
Incentive payments to eligible Podiatrists:
An eligible Podiatrist will receive incentive payments as specified in the legislation, for the first five years (2011 –2015), for demonstrating a meaningful use of EHR technology and demonstrated performance during the reporting period for each payment year. If an eligible Podiatrists does not demonstrate meaningful use by 2015, his/her reimbursement payments under Medicare will begin to be reduced. No incentive payment will be made after 2016.
A meaningful user is an eligible Podiatrist that:
1) Demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that during such period the professional is using certified EHR technology in a meaningful manner, which shall include the use of electronic prescribing as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary;
2) Demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Secretary that during such period such certified EHR technology is connected in a manner that provides, in accordance with law and standards applicable to the exchange of information, for the electronic exchange of health information to improve the quality of health care, such as promoting care coordination; and 3) Submits information for such period, in a form and manner specified by the Secretary, on such clinical quality measures and such other measures as selected by the Secretary.
Certified EHR technology means an EHR that is certified to meeting standards pursuant to this Act. To be qualified as a certified EHR technology, the certified technology must include patient demographic and clinical health information, such as medical history and problem lists, and has the capacity to provide clinical decision support to support physician order entry, to capture and query information relevant to healthcare quality, and to exchange electronic health information with, and integrate such information from other sources. DOX Podiatry meets all of these requirements today.
Payment schedule for an eligible Podiatrists is as follows:
|
Payment Year |
Incentive |
|
First Payment Year |
• $18,000 if the first payment year is 2011 or 2012 • $15,000 if the first payment year is 2013 • $12,000 if the first payment year is 2014
|
|
Second Payment Year |
$12,000 |
|
Third Payment Year |
$8,000 |
|
Fourth Payment Year |
$4,000 |
|
Fifth Payment Year |
$2,000 |
|
*For eligible professionals in a health professional shortage area (HPSA), the incentive payment amounts will be increased by 10% *Payments are not available to hospital-based professionals (such as a pathologist, emergency room physician, or anesthesiologist). |
|
If eligible Podiatrists have not become meaningful users of EHRs by 2015, they will not receive full Medicare payments beginning in 2015. The reduction in the fee schedule is as follows:
2015 – 99%;
2016 – 98%
2017 and each subsequent year – 97%
Call the experts at DOX Podiatry! We offer the leading web-based Electronic Medical Records (EMR) / Electronic Health Records (EHR)and Health Information Technology (HiTech) solutions created explicitly for Podiatry. Join the hundreds of other Podiatrists who are benefiting by saving time and making more money through the use of DOX Podiatry. Now with the added bonus that the government will reward you with $44,000 for improving your practice, making more money, and saving time!
Visit www.DoxEmr.com, Call 1-877-270-3518, or email info@DoxEmr.com to arrange for your personnel consultation and demonstration.
