CMS would like to remind eligible professionals and group practices participating in the Medicare Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program that the deadline to request a hardship exemption for the 2012 eRx payment adjustment is Tuesday, November 1, 2011.
Eligible professionals and group practices should determine if they are subject to the 2012 eRx payment adjustment by reviewing the MLN Special Edition Article #SE1107, "2011 Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program Update - Future Payment Adjustments<http://www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE1107.pdf>." If you believe that you may be subject to the 2012 eRx payment adjustment, you should determine if you meet any of the hardship exemption categories specified by CMS in the 2011 Medicare Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program Final Rule. In addition, a Quick Reference Guide<http://www.cms.gov/ERxIncentive/Downloads/2011eRxRule-QRG_09-06-2011F.pdf> is available to help you understand the changes that the eRx Final Rule made to the 2011 Medicare eRx Incentive Program. As a result of changes to the program, eligible professionals and group practices have until Tuesday, November 1, 2011 to submit a significant hardship exemption request and rationale. Please note, to be considered for an exemption under the significant hardship exemption category "Eligible professionals who register to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs and adopt Certified EHR Technology," an eligible professional must: * Have registered for either the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program (for instructions on how to register for one of the EHR Incentive Programs, refer to the Registration and Attestation page of the EHR Incentive Programs section of the CMS website at http://www.CMS.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/20_RegistrationandAttestation.asp<http://www.CMS.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/20_RegistrationandAttestation.asp#TopOfPage>); and * Providers have to show that they adopted certified EHR technology no later than October 1, 2011, and provide identifying information about the certified EHR Technology. Please note that, in order to qualify for an exemption to the 2012 eRx payment adjustment under this significant hardship exemption category, it is not necessary that an eligible professional receive an incentive payment under the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. Eligible professionals wishing to register for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program in states that have not yet launched their respective programs may initiate the registration process at the CMS Registration and Attestation System and obtain a registration number, even though they will not be able to successfully complete registration. If a state has not launched its Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, the state name will not appear in the drop-down menu for eligible professionals to choose from. However, a registration number is assigned even if registration is not successfully completed. In order to initiate registration for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, please visit https://EHRincentives.CMS.gov/hitech/login.action and follow the instructions to begin the registration process. Obtaining a CMS EHR Incentive Programs registration number, even if the registration is not successfully completed, suffices for the purposes of applying for a significant hardship exemption for the 2012 Medicare e-Prescribing payment adjustment. To request an exemption, individual eligible professionals must submit their hardship exemption requests through the Quality Communications Support Page<https://www.qualitynet.org/portal/server.pt/community/communications_support_system/234> and group practices participating under the group practice reporting option (GPRO) must submit hardship exemption requests via a letter to CMS. Please remember that CMS will review these requests on a case-by-case basis. All decisions on significant hardship exemption requests will be final. For additional information and resources, please visit http://www.CMS.gov/ERXincentive and review the new FAQ<https://questions.cms.hhs.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/10789/~/how-does-the-2011-medicare-electronic-prescribing-%28erx%29-incentive-program-final> on the topic. Vaccination is the Best Protection Against the Flu The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is encouraging everyone 6 months of age and older to get vaccinated against the seasonal flu. The risks for complications, hospitalizations, and deaths from the flu are higher among individuals aged 65 years and older. Medicare pays for the seasonal flu vaccine and its administration for seniors and others with Medicare with no co-pay or deductible. And remember, vaccination is particularly important for healthcare workers, who may spread the flu to high-risk patients; don't forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect your patients. Protect your family. Protect yourself. Get the Flu Vaccination - Not the Flu. Remember - The flu vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits. CMS has posted the 2011-2012 seasonal flu vaccine payment limits at http://www.CMS.gov/McrPartBDrugAvgSalesPrice/10_VaccinesPricing.asp. Note that the flu vaccine is NOT a Part D-covered drug. For more information on coverage and billing of the flu vaccine and its administration, as well as related educational provider resources, visit http://www.CMS.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp and http://www.cms.gov/immunizations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: If you have problems accessing any hyperlink in this message, please copy and paste the URL into your Internet browser. If you know someone who would like to subscribe to a Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) provider listserv, go to (http://www.cms.gov/prospmedicarefeesvcpmtgen/downloads/Provider_Listservs.pdf). If you would like to unsubscribe from a specific provider listserv, please go to (https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?INDEX) to unsubscribe or to leave the appropriate listserv. Please DO NOT respond to this email. This email is a service of CMS and routed through an electronic mail server to communicate Medicare policy and operational changes and/or updates. Responses to this email are not routed to CMS personnel. Inquiries may be sent by going to (http://www.cms.gov/ContactCMS). Thank you.
