Avoid Medicare Penalties by Implementing an EMR

The regulations for meeting meaningful use in order to get government stimulus dollars have been causing significant challenges for many physicians. Most recently, the June 30 deadline for implementing e-Prescribing (eRx) has come and gone, and those who missed the deadline should receive a 1% penalty on all Medicare payments in 2012. I say “should” because, although it’s now too late to code the 10 visits with G8553, CMS is actually giving physicians a second chance to avoid penalties.

That’s right – if you missed the June 30 deadline, you can breathe easy because CMS has proposed a revision to the eRx portion of the Medicare EHR Incentive Program that, if adopted (which we fully expect), will allow physicians to meet the eRx requirements by fully implementing a certified EMR before October 1, 2011, and attesting to meaningful use. This is in addition to several somewhat obscure exemptions that allow for a little more wiggle room in the program. Read the CMS Fact Sheet on the proposed rule.

What does this mean? Well, if you thought it was too late to implement an EMR in your practice, think again. You now have until October 1 to adopt and implement a certified EMR. Not only will this allow you to access up to $44,000 in stimulus dollars, you will, also, be able to avoid Medicare eRx penalties. 

Practice Velocity’s VelociDoc® Tablet EMR version 11.01 is 2011/2012 ONC-ATCB Certified by CCHIT®. If you’d like more information on how the experts at Practice Velocity can help your urgent care center get government stimulus dollars and increase your practice’s profitability, schedule a free demo today.