ARE YOU EARNING E-PRESCRIBING INCENTIVES?
Those who e-prescribe can earn money for doing so—both now and in coming years—thanks to government incentives. Here's how you can benefit and what you need to do.

Current Year
Thanks to the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), CMS is offering e-prescribers the opportunity to earn two percent of allowed charges for all Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) covered professional services furnished by eligible professionals during the reporting period.

Eligible professionals include physicians, physician assistants, and other non-physician prescribers. Medicare allowed charges for all covered professional services for the codes to which the e-prescribing measure applies must be less than 10 percent of the total of the allowed charges under Medicare Part B for all such covered professional services furnished by the eligible professional.

The eligible professional must report the applicable e-prescribing quality measure in at least 50 percent of the cases in which such measure is reportable by the eligible professional during the reporting year.

Payment is made to the practice represented by the Tax Identification Number (TIN) to which payments are made for the individual professional's services. For individuals (NPIs) associated with more than one practice or TIN, determination of Successful Electronic Prescriber for 2009 will be made for each unique NPI–TIN combination (as with PQRI). Payment will be made to the applicable TIN.

The relevant codes are:

1. G8443 – used a qualified e-prescribing system for all of the prescriptions.


2. G8445 – had a qualified e-prescribing system, but didn't generate any prescriptions during this encounter.


3. G8446 – had a qualified e- prescribing system but pre- scribed narcotics or other con- trolled substances. (The DEA currently prohibits e-prescribing for controlled substances)


4. G8446 – had a qualified e- prescribing system and state or federal law required that the prescription be called in or printed.


5. G8446 – had a qualified e- prescribing system and the patient asked that the prescription be phoned in or printed.


6. G8446 – had a qualified e- prescribing system and the pharmacy system cannot receive electronic transmissions. The measures are reported only on codes for which they are eligible; in the case of dermatology services that would be E/M services.

Earlier this year, the The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009became law. It included the allocation of $19 billion to adopt Electronic Health Records (EHR). Incentives begin in 2011 and end in 2015. Then dis-incentives begin. Successful adopters could earn up to $44,000 in 2011. Keep an eye out for more details on the program.

For updates to e-prescribing quality measures (specifications and/or reporting instructions), visit: www.cms.hhs.gov/EPrescribing on the CMS website.