Have you ever opened the Health Maintenance Tab on a patient’s chart only to find that the age template that is applied to the patient doesn’t match the patient’s age?
For example, this 40 year old male patient shows that he still has a 19-39 year old male health maintenance template applied to his chart:
This can be manually corrected by removing the incorrect template from the patient’s chart and adding in the correct one for the patient’s age/sex. Note that any data that when removing the old template, any data that was recorded under that template will not be removed from the chart but rather it will be moved to the “Historical” section of Health Maintenance. If the same Health Maintenance item exists on the new template the information will not be found under historical, it will continue to display in the row or that health maintenance item on the main screen.
To manually update the templates, click on the “Templates” button in the health maintenance screen:
And then, after selecting the tab with the age health maintenance template displayed, hitting “Delete Template” (If you have several templates applied to the patients chart you may need to use the arrows in the upper right corner of the Health Maintenance Templates display window to navigate through all the templates applied to the patient you are viewing.
Once the old template is removed, click the “New Template” button to add the correct age template to the patient’s chart. A window will appear asking for provider or practice ID, to access the universal templates leave these fields blank and hit OK.
The Health Maintenace Template Selection window will appear, to narrow down the available template click on the radio button for “Age/Sex”, highlight the appropriate template for the patient and hit “OK”
The best way to avoid manually updating the charts is to run the Age Health Maintenance utility.
The utility checks whether the correct age/sex template is already applied to the patient. If not, then it removes the incorrect template and applies the correct one. Data associated with the incorrect template is made historical only if the procedure does not exist in another template applied to the patient (for example, if aspirin therapy is part of the incorrect template and not the new template, but it also is part of a protocol template assigned to the patient, the aspirin therapy data will not be made historical). The utility also looks at the patient’s historical data, and makes current any data that is part of the new template but not the incorrect template.
For the utility to work, the patient must have a sex and age entered in the system, and there must be an HM template that matches the sex and age.
To use the Age Health Maintenance Templates utility, go to: Maintenance > Utilities > Health Maintenance Utilities > Age Health Maintenance Templates.
You will be asked if the database is backed up and will need to hit “Yes” to proceed. (If you do not have an automatic remote backup of your database in place please call us at 480.730.3055 to talk to us about our affordable solutions!)
A message will display letting you know the utility is processing.
Once completed you will receive the following notice:
Note: If an individual patient’s health maintenance template has been customized, then the template remains unchanged. A list of these patients is stored in a file called PRHMA.CHG. You can load this file into Windows Notepad or another editor to view and print it. You will need to fix these templates one at a time.
The Age Health Maintenance Templates utility can also be run as a freestanding utility (UpdatePatHmAgeTemplates.exe in the database directory- usually p:\ppart). You can use Windows Scheduler to run this automatically at an interval of your choice.
**We recommend running this utility once per month.
AZCOMP Technologies – the #1 eMDs reseller since 2005.
We are the ultimate source for all things Medisoft & Lytec. Whatever your question or problem or need with Medisoft & Lytec, we can help you. AZCOMP can help with sales, training, coaching, installation, support, EHR, add-on tools such as preferred clearinghouses, or patient statements, patient payments, appointment reminders and more.
Be sure to call us at (877) 959-8292 for all your network and healthcare technology needs.
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As the landscape around us is rapidly changing due to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, we have had a slew of calls regarding Telehealth.
LastUpdated May 11,2020 Please note that this information was current at time of publication, however rules around Telehealth during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency are changing daily; we will continue to update this post as information changes but we encourage you to check sources cited frequently for updates. This is not a substitute for legal advice; check with your attorney and other billing advisors. Most of the information reflects the federal government’s stance; you are directed to your private payers and Medicaid plans for their policies about coding and reimbursement, which may vary from the federal government’s.
AZCOMP is prepared to assist you with actual implementation of Telehealth services, however, many of the questions go beyond getting a solution in place. Therefore, we thought it would be beneficial to provide a timeline of what has transpired during the COVID-19 public health emergency as well as a summary of key points to understand regarding different types of telemedicine services, COVID-19 testing, and billing guidelines.
March 6, 2020 – Congress passed the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental AppropriationsAct (www.congress.gov). This new legislation will allow physicians and other health care professionals to bill Medicare fee-for-service for patient care delivered by telehealth during the current coronavirus public health emergency.
March 17, 2020 – After meeting with the Trump Administration many insurance issuers announced that they are also expanding efforts by waiving copays, waiving prior authorizations, covering the cost of the COVID-19 test, and allowing reimbursement for telehealth. (For details see Health Insurance Providers Respond to COVID-19)
March 18, 2020 The Families First Coronavirus Response Act becomes law, which among other things includes health provisions that require private health insurance to cover testing for COVID-19 without cost-sharing (deductibles, co-payments or co-insurance), and requires Medicare to cover, without cost-sharing, visits to health care providers that relate to COVID-19 testing during the public emergency.
The following instructional video was published by CMS on May 8, 2020 and replaces the previous video:
Types of Telemedicine Visits
It is important to understand the types of telemedicine services as each type of visit will have varying requirements regarding how the service is initiated, administered and billed. All of the services listed below can now be performed for new or established patients during the public health emergency.
Telehealth Visits: The provider must use an interactive audio and video telecommunications system that permits real-time communication between the distant site and the patient at home.
Effective for services starting March 6, 2020 and for the duration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, Medicare will make payment for Medicare telehealth services furnished to patients in broader circumstances.
Limitations have been removed during the emergency allowing telehealth services to be provided in all settings including a patient’s home.
Medicare beneficiaries will be able to receive a specific set of services through telehealth including evaluation and management visits (common office visits), mental health counseling and preventive health screenings.*New: The list of covered telehealth services was expanded to include over 80 additional services on March 30, 2020 under the interim rule- for a full list click here.
Telehealth services are NOT limited to services related to COVID-19. In order to support social distancing strategies and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission the statutory provision broadens telehealth flexibility without regard to the diagnosis of the patient as long as the service billed is reasonable and necessary.
Telehealth visits are considered the same as in-person visits and are paid at the same rate as regular, in-person visits.
The HHS secretary has been given the authority to waive the originating site requirement (www.cchpca.org) for telehealth services provided by a qualified provider to Medicare beneficiaries (www.cms.gov) in any identified emergency area during emergency periods.
Telehealth services may be provided to Medicare beneficiaries by phone, but only if the phone allows for audio-video interaction between the qualified provider and the beneficiary.
HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will exercise enforcement discretion and waive penalties for HIPAA violations against health care providers that serve patients in good faith through everyday communications technologies, such as FaceTime or Skype, during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency. For more information: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/emergency-preparedness/index.html
The Medicare coinsurance and deductible would generally apply to these services. However, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) is providing flexibility for healthcare providers to reduce or waive cost-sharing for telehealth visits paid by federal healthcare programs.
Virtual Check-ins: Brief communication service with practitioners via a number of communication technology modalities including synchronous discussion over a telephone or exchange of information through video or image.
The patient must verbally consent to receive virtual check-in services.
Practitioners may educate beneficiaries on the availability of the service prior to patient agreement.
Virtual check-ins can be conducted with a broader range of communication methods, unlike Medicare telehealth visits, which require audio and visual capabilities for real-time communication.
Medicare coinsurance and deductible would generally apply to these services.
E-Visits: Patient initiated communication through an online patient portal.
Individual services need to be initiated by the patient; however, practitioners may educate beneficiaries on the availability of the service prior to patient initiation.
The patient must consent to receive virtual check-in services.
The Medicare coinsurance and deductible would generally apply to these services.
When real-time audio visual equipment is not available to conduct an E/M visit remotely, practitioners may now conduct a visit over the phone for both new and established patients. These services were previously non-covered.
Medicare payment for telephone E&M visits is equivalent to the Medicare payment for office/outpatient visits with established patients effective March 1, 2020. (*New as of April 30, 2020 under the Second Round of Changes)
CMS is also allowing many behavioral health and education services to be furnished via telehealth using audio-only communications. The full list of telehealth services notes which services are eligible to be furnished via audio-only technology, including the telephone evaluation and management visits can be found here. (*New as of April 30, 2020 under the Second Round of Changes)
Remote Patient Monitoring: Allows patients to use mobile medical devices and technology to gather patient-generated health data and send it to healthcare professionals.
These services can be provided for both acute and chronic conditions and can now be provided for patients with only one disease. For example, remote patient monitoring can be used to monitor a patient’s oxygen saturation levels using pulse oximetry.
For purposes of treating suspected COVID-19 infections, Medicare will allow the service to be reported for shorter periods of time than 16 days (the normal requirement) as long as the other code requirements are met.
Eligible Providers
CMS is allowing all providers that are eligible to bill Medicare for their professional services to bill for Medicare telehealth services, including physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and others who were previously ineligible, to receive payment for Medicare telehealth services. (*New as of April 30, 2020 under the Second Round of Changes and retroactive to March 1, 2020)
Telehealth BILLING GUIDELINES DURING COVID-19
In this section we will provide information for Medicare Billing guidelines during the Public Health Emergency. Many of the private payers are following suit, but you will need to verify rules with individual payers as they may vary. One of the best guides we have seen for Medicare billing is Special Coding Advice presented by the American Medical Association. (Updated May 4, 2020) We highly recommend reviewing their guide as it includes a variety of scenarios that cover COVID-19 Telehealth billing, COVID-19 Laboratory Billing, Non-COVID-19 Telehealth Billing, and more. A great resource for checking billing guidelines for private payers can be found by clicking here.
CPT Codes
The CPT Code will depend on the type of Telemedicine Service performed. Here is a summary from CMS of the CPT codes that pertain to the type of service:
COVID-19 CPT Billing
Payment for Phone Calls(*NEW as of March 30, 2020 see the Interim Rule)
CMS will now pay for phone calls using codes 99441-99443, and 98966-98968. These are time-based codes.
Physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants should use codes 99441—99443
Other qualified health care professionals who may bill Medicare for their services, such as registered dieticians, social workers, speech language pathologists and physical and occupational therapists should use codes 98966—98968 with applicable GN, CO, or GP modifiers.
CMS previously announced that Medicare would pay for certain services conducted by audio-only telephone between beneficiaries and their doctors and other clinicians. Now, CMS is broadening that list to include many behavioral health and patient education services. CMS is also increasing payments for these telephone visits to match payments for similar office and outpatient visits. This would increase payments for these services from a range of about $14-$41 to about $46-$110. The payments are retroactive to March 1, 2020. (*New as of April 30, 2020 see Second Round of Changes)
Remote Patient Monitoring
Use CPT Codes 99091, 99457-99458, 99473-99474, 99493-99494
Place of Service (POS) Codes and Modifiers
The following information was updated April 6, 2020 after a correction was released by CMS on April 3, 2020
When billing professional claims to Medicare for all telehealth services with dates of services on or after March 1, 2020, and for the duration of the Public Health Emergency (PHE), bill with:
Place of Service (POS) equal to what it would have been had the service been furnished in-person
95 Modifier, indicating that the service rendered was actually performed via telehealth
As a reminder, CMS is not requiring the CR modifier on telehealth services. However, consistent with current rules for telehealth services, there are two scenarios where modifiers are required on Medicare telehealth professional claims:
GQ Modifier– Service was furnished as part of a federal telemedicine demonstration project in Alaska and Hawaii using asynchronous (store and forward) technology.
GT Modifier– Service was furnished for diagnosis and treatment of an acute stroke.
There are no billing changes for institutional claims; critical access hospital method II claims should continue to bill with modifier GT.
Providers are to apply Modifier CS on applicable claim lines to identify COVID-19 testing-related services that are not subject to cost sharing under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Covered services include medical visits that that result in an order for or administration of a COVID-19 test; are related to furnishing or administering such a test or to the evaluation of an individual for purposes of determining the need for such a test. The effective date for modifier CS is for services performed between March 18, 2020 through the end of the Public Health Emergency.
For professional claims, physicians and practitioners who did not initially submit claims with the CS modifier must notify their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) and request to resubmit applicable claims with dates of service on or after 3/18/2020 with the CS modifier to get 100% payment.
For institutional claims, providers, including hospitals, CAHs, RHCs, and FQHCs, who did not initially submit claims with the CS modifier must resubmit applicable claims submitted on or after 3/18/2020, with the CS modifier to visit lines to get 100% payment.
Revenue Codes *for institutional claims only
Revenue code 780 is used as the revenue code for telemedicine institutional claims (See Revenue Codes)
Diagnosis of COVID-19: Effective April 1, 2020, for confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 only, use U07.1 (For visits prior to April 1, 2020, report the code for the patient condition that is related to the COVID-19 (e.g., J12.89, “Other viral pneumonia”) and B97.29, “Other coronavirus as the cause of diseases classified elsewhere.” see New CDC Coronavirus Code Announcement for details)
Known Exposure to COVID-19 Without Confirmed Diagnosis of COVID-19: For cases where there is an actual exposure to someone who is confirmed or suspected (not ruled out) to have COVID-19, and the exposed individual either tests negative or the test results are unknown, report Z20.828, “Contact with and (suspected) exposure to other viral communicable diseases.”
Possible Exposure to COVID-19 Without Confirmed Diagnosis of COVID-19: For cases where there is a concern about a possible exposure to COVID-19, but this is ruled out after evaluation, assign code Z03.818, “Encounter for observation for suspected exposure to other biological agents ruled out.”
Screening for COVID-19: For asymptomatic individuals who are being screened for COVID-19 and have no known exposure to the virus, and the test results are either unknown or negative, assign code Z11.59, Encounter for screening for other viral diseases.
Suspected COVID-19: For patients presenting with any signs/symptoms associated with COVID-19 (such as fever, etc.) but a definitive diagnosis has not been established, assign the appropriate code(s) for each of the presenting signs and symptoms such as: R05 Cough, R06.02 Shortness of breath, R50.9 Fever, unspecified If a patient with signs/symptoms associated with COVID-19 also has an actual or suspected contact with or exposure to someone who has COVID-19, assign Z20.828, Contact with and (suspected) exposure to other viral communicable diseases, as an additional code. This is an exception to guideline I.C.21.c.1, Contact/Exposure.
Medicare Part B will cover a test to determine if beneficiaries have coronavirus for dates of service on or after Feb. 4, 2020. However, providers of the test will have to wait until after April 1, 2020, to submit a claim to Medicare for the test.
Many health plans have publicly announced that COVID-19 diagnostic tests are covered benefits and will be waiving any cost-sharing that would otherwise apply to the test.
CMS will pay hospitals and practitioners to assess beneficiaries and collect laboratory samples for COVID-19 testing, and make separate payment when that is the only service the patient receives. (*New as of April 30, 2020 see Second Round of Changes)
Medicare and Medicaid are covering certain serology (antibody) tests, which may aid in determining whether a person may have developed an immune response and may not be at immediate risk for COVID-19 reinfection. Medicare and Medicaid will cover laboratory processing of certain FDA-authorized tests that beneficiaries self-collect at home. (*New as of April 30, 2020 see Second Round of Changes)
During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, CMS is relaxing billing requirements for laboratory tests (PDF) required for a COVID-19 diagnosis. Any health care professional authorized under state law may order tests. Medicare will pay for tests without a written order from the treating physician or other practitioner:
If an order is not written, an ordering or referring National Provider Identifier (NPI) is not required on the claim
If an order is written, include the NPI of the ordering or referring professional, consistent with current billing guidelines
Physicians Guide to COVID-19 by the AMA: https://www.ama-assn.org/delivering-care/public-health/physicians-guide-covid-19
Although AZCOMP Technologies makes every effort to ensure that information regarding billing guidelines are checked and accurate in both our documentation and training, it should be understood that our expertise is in the software itself and not in billing practices. Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the user to study, interpret and remain abreast of billing requirements and deadlines, contacting authoritative sources directly as needed. Any claims documentation and training provided by AZCOMP Technologies is based on our interpretation of the rules published by nucc.org and cms.gov and are subject to change. Information and training provided is “as is” and without any express or implied warranties. AZCOMP Technologies assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions, expressly disclaiming liability for damages of any kind arising out of the use of, reference to or reliance on any content provided.
AZCOMP Technologies – the #1 eMDs reseller since 2005.
We are the ultimate source for all things Medisoft & Lytec. Whatever your question or problem or need with Medisoft & Lytec, we can help you. AZCOMP can help with sales, training, coaching, installation, support, EHR, add-on tools such as preferred clearinghouses, or patient statements, patient payments, appointment reminders and more.
eMDs announces that Practice Partner v11.2 has earned the ONC Health IT Certification from the Drummond Group LLC
Practice Partner is an all-in-one EHR and Practice Management program offered by eMDs and sold by AZCOMP Technologies. On January 8, 2019, eMDs announced that Practice Partner achieved Office of the National Coordinator for HEalth Information Technology (ONC-Health-IT) 2015 Edition Health IT Module Certification through the an Authorized Certification Body (ACB) named Drummond Group LLC. Drummond Group LLC is a certification group, authorized to test software for compliance with the requirements of the federal government’s program. This certifies that the software offers the functionality that enables eligible providers and hospitals to meet the requirements of various regulatory programs that require use of certified EHR technology.
AZCOMP Technologies is proud to have this certified software to provide to its customers. This is a good solution for our customers who are looking for a very stable and powerful program with a lot of customization options, and that runs on a server. Practice Partner, along with Medisoft Clinical and Lytec MD, is a technology that is trusted and has been proven nationwide to help independent practices and healthcare providers to be productive, to be profitable, and most importantly helps to deliver the best care to their patients.
About AZCOMP Technologies
AZCOMP Technologies is the industry leader and expert in Practice Partner EHR, Medisoft Clinical EHR, and Lytec MD EHR software, training, support and more for independent medical practices and medical billing companies. We offer electronic health records, practice management systems, revenue cycle management solutions, fully management IT services for computers and networking, security and HIPAA compliance for physicians and medical practices and other small businesses. We have also been the #1 eMDs reseller in the nation since 2005. For more information please visit www.azcomp.com.
About eMDs
eMDs is a leading provider of healthy solutions for healthy patients, healthy practices, and healthy partners. We offer integrated electronic health records, practice management software, revenue cycle management solutions, and credentialing services for physician practices and enterprises. Founded and continually influenced by physicians, the company is an industry leader for usable, connected software and services that enhance physician productivity and focus on patients with superior clinical and financial experience. eMDs software has received top rankings in physician and industry surveys including those conducted by the American Academy of Family Physicians’ Family Practice Management, American EHR Partners, MedScape, and Black Book. For more information please visit www.emds.com.
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CMS Extends Deadline for 2016 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) Electronic Health Record (EHR) Submission
***(This is an email we received from CMS March 13th 2017)***
CMS extends the submission deadline for 2016 Quality Reporting Document Architecture (QRDA) data submission for the EHR reporting mechanism of the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) program. Individual eligible professionals (EPs), PQRS group practices, qualified clinical data registries (QCDRs), and qualified EHR data submission vendors (DSVs) now have until Friday, March 31, 2017 to submit 2016 EHR data via QRDA. The deadline is extended to March 31, 2017 for EPs to electronically report electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQMs) for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.
Please Note: The deadline for eCQM data submission for hospitals participating in the Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR) Program and to meet the electronic reporting of Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs) portion of the EHR Incentive Program is Monday, March 13, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (PT). The deadline for reporting via attestation and Meaningful Use objective and measure submission for providers participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program is Monday, March 13, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
A complete list of 2016 data submission timeframes is below:
March 13, 2017 deadline:
eCQM reporting for hospitals – 1/3/17 – 3/13/17
CQM reporting via attestation – 1/3/17 – 3/13/17
Meaningful Use objectives and measures – 1/3/17 – 3/13/17
March 17, 2017 deadline:
Web Interface – 1/16/17 – 3/17/17
March 31, 2017 deadlines:
EHR Direct or Data Submission Vendor (QRDA I or III) – 1/3/17 – 3/31/17
Qualified Clinical Data Registries (QRDA III) – 1/3/17 – 3/31/17
Submission ends at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the end date listed for PQRS reporting. An Enterprise Identity Management (EIDM) account with the “Submitter Role” is required for these PQRS data submission methods. Please see the EIDM System Toolkit for additional information.
EPs who do not satisfactorily report 2016 quality measure data to meet the PQRS requirements will be subject to a downward PQRS payment adjustment on all Medicare Part B Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) services rendered in 2018. For questions, please contact the QualityNet Help Desk at 1-866-288-8912 or via email at Qnetsupport@hcqis.org from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Central Time. Complete information about PQRS is available here.
Disclaimer:AZCOMP Technologies, Inc, (AZCOMP) is providing this material as an informational reference for eligible professionals. Although every reasonable effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information within these pages at the time of posting, the EHR Incentive program is constantly changing, and it is the responsibility of each provider to remain abreast of the EHR Incentive program requirements.
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Don’t miss out on what’s happening in 2016 with Meaningful Use!
Providers that wait until 2016 to review what they need to be doing for meaningful use in 2016 may miss the mark!
Remember that unless you are in your first year of participating in the EHR Incentive Program (Meaningful Use), providers will be required to attest for the entire calendar year of 2016. Since there are certain measures that require providers to attest that the functionality was enabled the entire reporting period, there is a high risk to missing the mark. It’s all or none when it comes to meaningful use, therefore we are encouraging providers to take time to review the changes and make sure you are on track well before January 1st. Providers that wait may find it is too late!
Get Started before January 1st!
A great resource to review is this recently released overview document of what has changed in the program and what is REQUIRED in 2016:
Providers are also encouraged to keep supporting documentation at the beginning of the reporting period (January 1st) for yes/no attestation measures, for more information review the Supporting Documentation for Audit Tipsheet from CMS.
Tell me more…
Let us help you along the way. We have many resources available on our blog to help answer questions about the EHR Incentive Program and Meaningful Use. Click here to find previous articles.
Need Any Assistance? Our Trainers Can Help.
Disclaimer: AZCOMP Technologies, Inc, (AZCOMP) is providing this material as an informational reference for eligible professionals. Although every reasonable effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information within these pages at the time of posting, the Medicare/Medicaid programs are constantly changing, and it is the sole responsibility of each provider to remain abreast of program requirements by consulting the authorities and documentation found directly at http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/index.html
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This notice is intended for McKesson Practice Choice Users participating in the EHR Incentive Program.
In response to the recent changes to the Meaningful Use Program (Modified Stage 2), McKesson has released a 2015 Meaningful Use Attestation Guide. This guide is intended to be a companion to information on CMS site as well as details in McKesson Practice Choice’s online Help for past reporting years.
Here’s a preview of what will be discussed in this guide:
Disclaimer: AZCOMP Technologies, Inc, (AZCOMP) is providing this material as an informational reference for eligible professionals. Although every reasonable effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information within these pages at the time of posting, the Medicare/Medicaid programs are constantly changing, and it is the sole responsibility of each provider to remain abreast of program requirements by consulting the authorities and documentation found directly at http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/index.html
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This important update is to notify users that McKesson has now released a software patch on 11/4/2015 for Medisoft Clinical, LytecMD, and Practice Partner that will update the CQM reporting tool from the 2013 eCQM specifications to the new 2014 eCQM Specifications. Practices must run the updater on the server to apply the patch.
Depending on the specific quality measures the provider is reporting, installing the software patch alone may not be enough as a number of the measures require configuration and workflow training in order to ensure the data is being captured in a manner that the report can read the data.
We are advising all providers to both update the software and review the measures they have selected for any changes to the configuration and workflow. A new user guide was released in conjunction with this update which includes all of the details on configuration and reporting.
If you need assistance with configuration, implementation and training on CQMs we recommend working one-on-one with one of our Certified Trainers. Call us at (888) 799-4777 to get set up with your training.
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Meaningful Use: What you need to know about the CMS Final Rule Changes from October 16, 2015.
In mid October, CMS created a new Final Rule to update a portion of the EHR Incentive Program.
We held a webinar on October 29, 2015 to address the changes and show how this impacts your practice if you plan to attest for Meaningful Use.
Need Meaningful Use Help?
If you need additional help, call our office to schedule some time with one of our EHR trainers and we’ll help you make it through. Call us at (888) 799-4777.
Watch The Webinar Replay Here:
It’s a long one, so block out some time to review and grab some popcorn, Redvines, and any other snacks for the show…
Disclaimer:AZCOMP Technologies, Inc, (AZCOMP) is providing this material as an informational reference for eligible professionals. Although every reasonable effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information within these pages at the time of posting, the EHR Incentive program is constantly changing, and it is the responsibility of each provider to remain abreast of the EHR Incentive program requirements.
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Meaningful Use: What you need to know about the CMS Final Rule Changes from October 16, 2015.
This webinar was held on October 29, 2015. To watch the recording of the webinar, click here.
Join us for a live webinar hosted by AZCOMP’s EMR and Meaningful Use expert Loree Olsen.
When: Thursday, October 29, 2015 at 10:00AM Pacific
The webinar will last approximately 60 minutes with a Q&A period.
What: Electronic Health Records Incentive Program – Modifications to Meaningful Use in 2015-2017
On October 16, 2015, a final rule was published in the Federal Register that changes meaningful use Stage 1 and Stage 2 as we know it. In this webinar we will focus on what you need to know in order to report for 2015.
What we will cover:
The adjustment to the reporting period
The new outline of objectives
Alternate measures and exclusions
How these changes impact your practice and workflow
This is a great opportunity to do a self-check to ensure your practice is on track to successfully attest for 2015!
Register for the webinar!
Registration is required, and the webinar is FREE!
AZCOMP Technologies, along with McKesson is committed to providing the resources you need to get educated, to avoid penalties, and to earn your EHR incentives.
Disclaimer:AZCOMP Technologies, Inc, (AZCOMP) is providing this material as an informational reference for eligible professionals. Although every reasonable effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information within these pages at the time of posting, the EHR Incentive program is constantly changing, and it is the responsibility of each provider to remain abreast of the EHR Incentive program requirements.
https://www.azcomp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/logo-azcomp-02-01.png00Marketing Accounthttps://www.azcomp.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/logo-azcomp-02-01.pngMarketing Account2015-10-21 11:18:082018-03-26 16:10:14Meaningful Use 2015 Final Rule Webinar
Bipartisan Bill Headed to President’s Desk for Signature
(The content of this post is from a letter received from McKesson on April 15, 2015 as a McKesson Public Affairs ALERT.)
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed H.R. 2 which reforms the Medicare physician payment system, helps slow healthcare cost growth, and extends healthcare coverage for children. The measure also passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 392 to 37. The President plans to sign the bill.
The passage of these critical reforms is both substantively and politically important. The measure avoids the threat of draconian cuts to Medicare providers. Politically, the bipartisan negotiating process and the overwhelmingly bipartisan vote show that in the newly controlled Republican Congress both parties can work together to get things done.
McKesson has advocated for these Medicare reforms in recent years and strongly supports this measure as it will have a positive impact on our physician customers and business partners.
What is the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR)?
Medicare payments to physicians are determined under a formula, commonly referred to as the “Sustainable Growth Rate” (SGR). SGR was first passed into law in 1997 and intended to control physician spending by linking it to the nation’s economic growth. The formula has called for reductions in physician payment rates since 2002, but Congress has spent nearly $150 billion in 17 short term patches to avoid the cuts. The most recent patch was to expire on March 31st. If Congress hadn’t acted, providers would have received a 21% reimbursement rate cut in April.
For several years, a bipartisan group of legislators had been working to permanently reform the SGR formula, but an agreement had proved politically elusive. However, a few weeks ago, Speaker Boehner and Democratic Leader Pelosi announced they had reached a deal.
What Does the Bill Do?
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2) returns certainty to Medicare reimbursement, incentivizes quality and value, slows the growth of health care spending, and extends health coverage for children. Specifically, the bill:
Reforms the Medicare physician payment system by providing a 0.5% annual increase for Medicare providers for the next four years;
Transitions to an incentive-based payment system in 2019 with potential for increased payment rates for providers participating in alternative payment models based on patient outcomes;
Requires Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to be interoperable by 2018 and prohibits providers from deliberately blocking information sharing with other EHR vendor products;
Extends funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Community Health Centers for an additional two years, and
Extends for six months a moratorium on enforcement of the “two-midnight” rule for short inpatient hospital stays.
What Does This Mean for McKesson Customers?
The guaranteed payment increase over the next four years will introduce mid-term stability and predictability for Medicare providers before they are transitioned to a new value-based system. The bill also supports providers as they navigate participation in alternative payment models, with the potential for increased reimbursement rates.
Though hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation centers will only see a base pay increase of 1% in 2018, about half of the increase without passage of the legislation, they largely backed the bill. In a letter, the American Hospital Association commended Congress for delaying cuts to the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital program an additional year, until 2018, and extending the partial enforcement delay on Medicare’s “two-midnight” policy for an additional 6 months.
This bill is also good news for hospitals, clinics, and providers who treat children enrolled in the CHIP program; without the two year extension, approximately two million children would lose access to healthcare, and more than eight million children could lose access to specialty care.
Finally, the bill requires EHRs to be interoperable by 2018 and prohibits providers from deliberately blocking information sharing with other EHR vendor products. It also leverages EHRs for quality reporting and requires the exchange of healthcare information to manage patient care across care settings.
For More Information
To read more about this legislation, see the official House Energy and Commerce Committee detailed summary here.
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