Physician Practices
Stimulus funding for eligible professionals in Physician Practices are triggered when providers demonstrate the meaningful use of a certified EMR.
Meaningful use is tentatively defined as demonstrated performance during the reporting period for each payment year of:
- Electronic prescribing
- Interoperability in a manner that provides an electronic exchange of information that improves the quality of care by promoting care coordination
- Reporting clinical quality measures and other measures selected by the Secretary of HHS
Certified EMR is currently, yet tentatively, defined as a system that includes the following:
- Patient demographics
- Clinical Health Information
- Capacity to provide clinical decision support / physician order entry
- Capacity to capture and query information relevant to healthcare quality and to exchange electronic health information with and integrate such information from other sources.
Further definitions of meaningful use and certified systems will be posted as they become available.
FUNDING
The funding is distributed through Medicare and Medicaid incentives, but providers can not take part in both.
The maximum Medicare incentive per provider is $44,000 over 5 years (2011-2015) and will be distributed no earlier than January 1, 2011.
2011 - $18K max
2012 - $12K
2013 - $8K
2014 - $4
2015 - $2
For those eligible professionals who serve in “health professional shortage areas,” incentive payments will increase by 10%.
Medicare Penalties, or payment adjustments, begin in 2015 and are scheduled as follows:
2015 – 1%
2016 – 2%
2017 – 3%
2018 – 3-5%
Maximum penalties in future years are no more than 5%.
There are no stated Medicaid penalties at this time.
ADDITIONAL FUNDING
In addition to Stimulus Bill funding, there are currently additional incentives in place for providers to take advantage of right now through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Click on the links below to learn more:
- E-Prescribing Incentives estimated at $3,000-$5,000 per year
- Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) Incentive estimated at $3,000-$5,000 per year
HOW HEALTHPORT CAN HELP
We offer affordable, high-quality technology and services to healthcare providers of all types. By combining knowledge, technology and service, we are committed to improving business processes in Physician Practices nationwide.
HealthPort Electronic Medical Record (EMR) is CCHIT certified, and we are committed to maintaining this certification and meeting any other criteria and requirements established by the government for receipt of funding. With a proven track record of quality service, innovative technology, and trusted expertise, HealthPort EMR enables Physician Practices to realize the maximum benefits of electronic records:
- Enhanced patient care and safety
- Streamlined business processes
- Improved financial outcomes
Successful electronic medical record solutions accommodate the way you work. HealthPort EMR was developed with the help of physicians, which means our flexible system works the way your providers do—not the other way around. In fact, our user definable templates continue to be one of our strongest selling points.