News from the Florida Academy of

By unanimous consent late yesterday, the Senate passed H.R. 4994, the "Medicare and Medicaid Extenders Act of 2010." The legislation would stabilize Medicare physician payments at current rates for 12 months, through the end of 2011. Medicare payments are scheduled to be cut by 25 percent on January 1, 2011.

In addition to providing an additional 12-month reprieve from the Medicare physician payment cuts being produced by the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, the bill extends a number of other payment policies that were set to expire at the end of this year. Of particular interest to physicians, the bill would extend through 2011:

Also of benefit to physicians, the legislation includes funds to enable Medicare contractors to reprocess claims for physician services affected by provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) passed last spring with a retroactive effective date of January 1, 2010. These include revisions to the geographic payment adjustments, increased payments for bone density tests, and other policies. Retroactive payment changes resulting from corrections that were made in the calculation of certain relative value units when the 2010 Medicare payment schedule was first issued could be implemented, as well.

The approximately $19 billion cost of the legislation was offset by an increase in repayments to be made by individuals and families whose income grew significantly after they were deemed eligible for subsidies to purchase health insurance under PPACA. Under current law, such repayments are capped at $250 for an individual and $400 for families; the bill would raise these caps according to an income-related scale to as much as $1,750 for an individual and $3,500 for a family making between 450-500 percent of the federal poverty level.

Now the House of Representatives must pass H.R. 4994 before it is sent to the White House for the President’s signature into law. So, it is not a “done deal” as yet, but I know many of you were asking us and we wanted to keep you all apprised on what is happening. Please note, per above information, this bill will also fund to pay claims that have not been reprocessed due to increases made by the PPACA last year. First Coast was unable to reprocess those claims until they received funding and instructions from CMS. If this bill passes, they should be receiving the funding and instructions on payment to those offices that are affected.

The FMA will continue to send out notices once we have more information. At least this is a step in the right direction. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Susan Franz

Medical Economics Specialist

Office: (850) 224-6496

Fax: (850) 222-8827

sfranz@flmedical.org

AOA - GOAL Advocacy Alert
CMS and ONC Announce Registration Start Date for Electronic Health Records Incentive Program

Electronic health records incentives registration starts Jan. 3, 2011	More Info
CMS, ONC Outline Resources to Assist Eligible Providers

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) have announced that registration for the Medicare electronic health record (EHR) incentive program will open Monday, January 3, 2011. All eligible professionals are required to register in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs. To prepare for registration, physicians should familiarize themselves with the incentive programs’ requirements by visiting CMS' official site for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. This site provides general and detailed information on the programs, including tabs on the path to payment, eligibility, meaningful use, certified EHR technology, and frequently asked questions. Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments will be available to eligible professionals when they adopt certified EHR technology and successfully demonstrate “meaningful use” of the technology in ways that improve quality, safety, and effectiveness of patient-centered care. Physicians who meet the eligibility requirements for both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs must select which program they wish to participate in when they register. Physicians cannot participate in both programs; however, after receiving payment, they may change their program selection once before 2015. Under the EHR incentive programs, eligible professionals can receive as much as $44,000 over a five-year period through Medicare. For Medicaid, eligible professionals can receive as much as $63,750 over six years. CMS and ONC also announced that on January 3 registration for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program will be available in Alaska, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. In February, registration for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program will open in California, Missouri, and North Dakota. Other states likely will launch their Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs during the spring and summer of 2011. The AOA will provide information on additional state programs as it becomes available. Physicians who choose to participate in the Medicaid incentive program must initiate registration at CMS’ registration site and they must complete eligibility verification with their state Medicaid agency. Physicians participating in the Medicaid incentive program are encouraged to contact their state Medicaid agency for additional details on registration. The following are a list of key dates provided by CMS and ONC: Jan. 3, 2011 – Registration for the Medicare EHR incentive program begins. Jan. 3, 2011 –States that are ready may launch their incentive programs for Medicaid providers. January 2011 – Some state agencies begin issuing Medicaid EHR incentive payments. April 2011 – Attestation for the Medicare EHR incentive program begins. May 2011 – Issuing of Medicare EHR incentive payments expected to begin. July 3, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals to begin their 90-day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR incentive program for federal FY 2011. Sept. 30, 2011 – Federal FY 2011 payment year ends at midnight for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs). Oct. 3, 2011 – Last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90-day reporting period for calendar year 2011 to demonstrate meaningful use for the Medicare EHR incentive program. Nov. 30, 2011 – Last day for eligible hospitals and CAHs to register and attest to receive an incentive payment for federal fiscal year 2011. Dec. 31, 2011 – Calendar 2011 payment year ends for eligible professionals.