June 30 eRx Payment Adjustment Deadline
Individual eligible professionals (EPs) and group practices participating in the Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) must successfully report as an electronic prescriber before June 30, 2013 or payment adjustment will incur in 2014 for professional services covered under Medicare Part B’s Physician Fee Schedule (PFS.) The 2013 eRx Incentive Program 6-month reporting period from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2013 will be the final reporting period available to you if you wish to avoid the 2014 eRx payment adjustment. The payment adjustment of 2.0% will be applied for those who do not successfully report.
Avoiding the 2014 eRx Payment Adjustment
Individual EPs and eRx GPRO participants who were not successful electronic prescribers in 2012 can avoid 2014 eRx payment adjustment by meeting specified reporting requirements between January 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013. These are the 6-month reporting requirements:
- Individual EPs – 10 eRx events via claims
- eRx GPRO of 2-24 EPs – 75 eRx events via claims
- eRx GPRO of 25-99 EPs – 625 eRx events via claims
- eRx GPRO of 100+ EPs – 2,500 eRx events via claims
Exclusions and Hardships Exemptions
Exclusions from the 2014 eRx payment adjustment only apply to certain individual EPs and group practices, and CMS will automatically exclude those individual EPs and group practices who meet the criteria. CMS may exempt individual eligible professionals and group practices participating in eRx GPRO from the 2014 eRx payment adjustment if it is determined that compliance with the requirements for becoming a successful electronic prescriber would result in a significant hardship. Requests for hardship exemptions must be submitted through the Communication Support Page by 11:59pm ET on June 30, 2013. More information on exclusion criteria and hardship exemption categories can be found on the Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program: 2014 Payment Adjustment Fact Sheet.
July 3rd EHR Deadline for Medicare Eligible Hospitals and CAHs
July 3, 2013 is last day that eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) in their first year of participation of the Medicare EHR Incentive Program can begin their 90-day reporting period to demonstrate meaningful use for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. Hospitals in their second and third years of participation must demonstrate meaningful use for the full FY.
Along with July 3 these are three other important dates for eligible hospitals and CAHs:
- September 30, 2013—Last day of the FY 2013, and the end of the reporting year.
- October 1, 2013—First day of FY 2014, and the start of Stage 2 for hospitals in their third or fourth years of participation.
- November 30, 2013—Last day to register and attest to receive an incentive payment for FY 2013.
See other 2013 important dates in the 2012-2014 Health Information Technology timeline.