Home Forums Discussions General Discussion e-prescribing requirement in 2012

Does anyone know the requirement for e-prescribing and PQRS bonuses for 2012?

Thanks,

The eRx incentive is the same as 2011 and pays 1% of Medicare annual encounter charges. To qualify, report at least one eRx during 25 or more unique patient visits during the reporting year, by submitting the G-code (G8553) when performing the patient visit. More details here.

Now the stick: If you have not submitted 25 successful eRxs by the end of 2011 or during the first 6-months of 2012, Medicare will impose a 1.5% payment reduction for charges submitted in 2013.

You are not eligible for the eRx incentive if you attest for the EMR incentive in the same year. However, you are still liable for the penalties if you fail to perform at least 25 unique eRxs at a patient encounter visit. (How you would qualify for the EMR incentive and not meet criteria for eRx seems impossible to me...but then again, it's Medicare.)

John, this is absolutely correct. I asked the Maine Regional Extension Center Director about this. My question: do we have to report the code G8553 if we are participating in Meaningful Use. You would think that since ERx is part of the MU requirement, if we successfully attest to MU we should not also have to attest to the ERx. So, she contacted CMS: the answer..... a HUGE RUN-AROUND. After 6 weeks of tenaciously researching this matter, they returned an answer....YES you still have to report on the ERx incentive with G8553 or suffer the consequences, as you said a 1.5% penalty.

Also as you pointed out, this is the U.S. Federal Government we are dealing with and common sense has no place there.

This is all getting really really old. It becomes more and more meaningless with time. I am very frustrated. Not with AC but the whole game. It is all so stupid. I wish the sun would come out!

Thank you John & Adam, very useful info to all of us.

you are welcome. So far we have only the ERx penalty and by 2015 the MU penalty for non-participation. I wonder how many more "voluntary" incentive programs they have waiting in the wings to throw at us once we are used to the ERx and MU requirements...I'll bet there are many more.

Completely agreed. I hopefully plan to do none of it as a matter of principle. For me, it's simply not good patient care.

Not to mention the MOC which each board has different requirements for. And, MU will be included in that as well soon.