Recall that the e-Prescribing (eRx) rule requires physicians to report the eRx code on at least ten claims for outpatient visits between January 1 and June 30, 2011. Failure to become a successful e-prescriber will result in a one-percent reduction in Medicare payments in 2012. The requirement only applies to physicians who, during the relevant time period, perform at least 100 of the visit services listed by CPT™ code in the eRx measure denominator and for whom at least ten percent of their Medicare allowables come from such visit services.
The minimum volume of outpatient visits excludes the vast majority of anesthesiologists. Some pain physicians do perform a sufficient quantity of outpatient visits to come within the eRx requirement, but they may be able to avoid the financial penalty by securing a hardship exemption. The hardship exemption categories include:
- 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). This is the exemption that will apply to most pain physicians who have not been able to e-prescribe.
- Your practice is located in a rural area without high speed internet access.
- Your practice is located in an area without sufficient available pharmacies for e-prescribing
- 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.
- Limited prescribing (you do not prescribe on a regular basis).
- 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).
If you have not already done so, click here to apply for an exemption. The physician must personally attest to the basis for the hardship claimed; administrative staff should not sign electronically for the physician. The exemptions are granted to the individual physician. Only those pre-approved groups participating in the eRx Incentive program through the formal Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) are able to apply for the exemption by letter rather than online.
If you cannot open the online application at the above link, select Tools/Internet Options/Advanced in your Internet Explorer window. Scroll down toward the bottom and locate “Use TLS 1.0” choice. Place a checkmark in the “Use TLS 1.0.” Click OK, and then attempt to access the site again. If you still have trouble, call the QualityNet Help Desk at (866) 288-8912 or email qnetsupport@sdps.org from 7 am to 7 pm, Monday through Friday. There may be a waiting period due to the high volume of calls to the help desk.
Learn more about Anesthesia Business Consultants.
More Articles Featuring Anesthesia Business Consultants:
Anesthesiologists: Be Careful With What You Say About One Another
Do the Finalized ACO Regulations Help Anesthesiologists?
Debt Ceiling Deal Contains Little for Anesthesiologists to Like
