This year marks the second year of CMS’ electronic prescribing incentive program for office-based physicians.
The 2% incentive continued in 2010 but will decrease to 0.5% in 2011. Beginning in 2012, CMS will pay 1% less than its fee schedule if you don’t e-prescribe, and the penalty increases to 1.5% in 2013 and to 2% every year thereafter.
This is good news for physicians, because the reporting requirements have been reduced from the 2009 requirement to report on 50% of Medicare claims. However, in a significant change from the 2009 reporting requirements, CMS is requiring that providers report these measures using a qualified e-prescribing system that is capable of the following functions:
- Generating a complete active medication list incorporating electronic data received from applicable pharmacy benefit managers (if available);
- Selecting medications, printing prescriptions, electronically transmitting prescriptions, and conducting all safety checks;
- Providing information related to the availability of lower-cost, therapeutically appropriate alternatives (if any); and
- Providing information on formulary or tiered formulary medications, patient eligibility, and authorization requirements received electronically from the patient’s drug plan (if available).
Keep in mind that for 2010, CMS now requires practices to report only 1 G-code (G8553) to signify that you have and are using an e-prescribing system. For more details on the 2010 electronic prescribing incentive program, contact Itara Barnes at [email protected] or at (404) 633-3777, ext 819.