Ready or not, it's time to gear up for electronic medical records in your office. Despite a couple of months of "pain" in implementation, I would never return to paper. It is "funny" to see how so many older physicians have given up practice to avoid the computerization that many of us have embrace and now love. -Ed
Decisions doctors must make to avoid Medicare penalties
2013 will be a crucial year for physicians to avoid possible pay reductions under quality reporting and health information technology programs.
By CHARLES FIEGL, amednews staff. Posted Nov. 12, 2012.
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A physician’s decision not to report Medicare quality measures or participate in paperless prescribing and health record programs in 2013 will be a costly one in the long run.
The programs have been voluntary for the past several years. However, federal laws require Medicare rates eventually to be reduced for physicians who do not participate in the physician quality reporting system as well as the electronic health records and e-prescribing incentive programs. The reason why 2013 is such a critical year for doctors is that Medicare officials are using it as a benchmark for future penalties in all of these programs.
The American Academy of Family Physicians estimates that participating in these initiatives next year could save a physician $19,000 in avoided penalties. Successfully reporting quality measures and achieving meaningful use of an EHR in 2013 will prevent a doctor’s Medicare rates from being reduced by 3.5% in 2015 for noncompliance.
“It might not seem like that much money now, but what if it goes up to 5%, 10% or 20%?” asked Bruce Bagley, MD, AAFP’s medical director for quality improvement. “Is it still optional? And what if commercial payers start to do it, too? It’s only going to get harder, so the sooner you get your feet wet, the better.”
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has developed a plan for how penalties will be levied on physicians. In general, the agency will apply pay reductions one or two years after the reporting year for the initiatives. An interactive American Medical News questionnaire can help doctors determine if they’re headed for steep reductions in Medicare pay in 2014 and 2015 based on their reporting activity in 2013.
