Posts Tagged eligible professionals

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12 Ways to Supercharge Your Practice in 2012: #12 – 9 Ways to Maximize Your Medicare Payments

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Medicare has so many programs that have the potential to increase or decrease your payments that practices need a list to keep them straight.

Here’s your list with information on which programs are mutually exclusive and which can be combined.

 

1. Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program

  • You must be an eligible provider to participate.
  • You must be the owner of the EHR, although you do not need to have paid for the EHR.
  • The EHR must be certified.
  • You can choose to participate in Medicare (federally administered) or Medicaid (state administered) program.
  • You must register for the programs.
  • You must attest or document that you have adopted, implemented, upgraded or demonstrate meaningful use.
  • Eligible professionals choosing to participate the Medicare program can each earn up to $44K over 5 years, and eligible professionals choosing to participate in the Medicaid program can each earn up to $63,750 over 6 years.

2. ePrescribing Incentive Program

  • Eligible professionals do not need to register for the program.
  • You can participate in one of three ways: via submitting codes on claim forms, via an EHR or via a registry
  • Each professional needs to report 10 eRx events for Medicare patients for dates of service before June 30, 2012 OR apply for one of five exclusions or four exemptions.
  • EPs who are successful e-prescribers can qualify to earn an incentive payment based on a percentage of their total estimated Medicare PFS allowed charges processed not later than 2 months after the end of the reporting period. For reporting year 2012, EPs who are successful e-prescribers can qualify to earn an incentive payment equal to 1.0 percent of allowed charges. For reporting year 2013, EPs can qualify to earn an incentive payment of 0.5 percent of allowed charges. Beginning in 2012, EPs who are not successful e-prescribers in 2011 and do not qualify for a hardship exception will be subject to a payment adjustment equal to 1.0 percent of their Medicare PFS allowed charges. The payment adjustment increases to 1.5 percent in 2013 and 2.0 percent in 2014.

3. PQRS (Physician Quality Reporting System)

  • Originally called PQRI (Physician Quality Reporting Initiative) is the basis for pay-for-performance models.
  • Physicians may report individually or practices may choose a set of three measures that relate to the type of patients they see. Measures are  performed and modifiers are attached to claims.
  • Bonuses are available until 2014; starting in 2015 practices not participating in PQRS will receive a negative payment adjustment.
  • For reporting years 2012 through 2014, EPs who satisfactorily report Physician Quality Reporting System measures will earn an incentive payment equal to 0.5 percent of allowed charges. Additionally, for reporting years 2011 through 2014, EPs who satisfactorily report Physician Quality Reporting System measures can qualify to earn an additional 0.5 percent incentive payment by, more frequently than is required to qualify for or maintain board certification status, participating in a maintenance of certification program and successfully completing a qualified maintenance of certification program practice assessment. Beginning in 2015, EPs who do not satisfactorily report under the Physician Quality Reporting System will be subject to a payment adjustment equal to 1.5 percent of their Medicare PFS allowed charges. The payment adjustment increases to 2.0 percent in 2016 and beyond.

4. Medicare Wellness Visits

  • Many practices are losing money due to the confusion over what Medicare pays for and what Medicare doesn’t pay for.  Medicare introduced three new visits in 2010 and many providers continue to have trouble understanding and providing them correctly.
  • The “Welcome to Medicare” visit is technically called the “Initial Patient Physical Examination” (IPPE), but to everyone’s dismay, it is not a physical examination at all, with the exception of basic visits such as height, weight, BMI, blood pressure and pulse, and the potential for an EKG and an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm screening. The Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) and the Subsequent Annual Wellness Visit are not physical examinations either, yet almost ALL patients believe that Medicare now gives free annual physicals.
  • Practices must train all staff and physicians to use the correct terminology first. I suggest everyone stop using the phrases “annual physical” or “complete physical” with Medicare patients. Patients can request and receive:
    • A Welcome to Medicare Visit with no exam (no deductible, no co-insurance)
    • A first annual Wellness Visit with no exam  (no deductible, no co-insurance)
    • A Subsequent Annual Wellness Visit with no exam every year thereafter (no deductible, no co-insurance)
  • What patients think they want is either a preventive visit, which Medicare will NOT pay for, or a standard Evaluation & Management (E/M) visit, which their deductible and co-insurance will apply to.
  • The only way the practice can win is by driving home to patients what Medicare does pay for and doesn’t pay for and making sure your documentation matches the code you submit to Medicare.

 

5. The ABN (Advance Beneficiary Notice)

  • Many practices miss revenue when they provide services to Medicare patients that are statutorily excluded from Medicare benefits.
  • These may be services that do not meet the Medicare definition of medical necessity or are provided at more frequent intervals than Medicare approves.
  • Identifying these non-covered services is the hard thing, however, unless your EMR can alert you to a service that will not be paid by Medicare, and if the patient requests the service and signs an ABN prior to the provision of the service  In this case, the practice may collect the full fee from the patient.

6. Primary Care Incentive Payment Program (PCIP)

  • Eligible Providers (Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Physicians who have their primary specialty designation in family medicine, internal medicine, geriatric medicine or pediatric medicine) can receive a 10% incentive payment for services under Part B.
  • The PCIP program, which was created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, requires Medicare to pay primary care providers, whose primary care billings comprise at least 60 percent of their total Medicare allowed charges, a quarterly 10-percent bonus from Jan. 1, 2011, until the end of December 2015.
  • Eligible primary care physicians furnishing a primary care service in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) area may receive both a HPSA and a PCIP payment.

7. HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Area)

  • Medicare makes bonus payments annually of 10% to physicians who provide medical care services in geographic areas that lack sufficient health care providers to meet the needs of the population.
  • Payments are automatic; there is no need to register or report anything on the claim for
  • If services are provided in ZIP code areas that do not fall entirely within a full county HPSA or partial county HPSA, the AQ modifier must be entered on the claim to receive the bonus.

 

8. HPSA (Health Professional Shortage Area ) Surgical Incentive Payment (HSIP)

  • The Affordable Care Act of 2010, Section 5501 (b)(4) expands bonus payments for general surgeons in HPSAs.  Effective January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2015, physicians serving in designated HPSAs will receive an additional 10% bonus for major surgical procedures with a 10 or 90 day global period.
  • Payments are automatic; there is no need to register or report anything on the claim form.
  • If services are provided in ZIP code areas that do not fall entirely within a full county HPSA or partial county HPSA, the AQ modifier must be entered on the claim to receive the bonus.

9. NEW! Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative (CPCi)

  • Payment model per beneficiary per month (PBPM) for care management of Medicaid and Medicare patients
  • Markets in Arkansas, Colorado, New jersey, New York, Ohio/Kentucky, Oklahoma and Oregon for Medicaid patients
  • Arkansas, Colorado, Ohio and Oregon are the four states for Medicaid pilots.
  • Multiple payers, including CMS, will be paying a monthly care management fee to support the 5 primary care functions of:
    • Risk-stratified care management
    • Access and continuity
    • Planned care for chronic care & preventive care
    • Patient & caregiver engagement
    • Coordination of care across the medical neighborhood
  • Primary care practices in the states and markets can apply from June 15 to July 20, 2012 (application here.)

 

What Medicare Bonus or Incentive Programs Can Be Claimed Together?

  • PQRS can claimed with eRx.
  • PQRS can be claimed with EHR.
  • HPSA and PCIP are automatic and are not affected by any other programs
  • EHR and eRx can both be claimed but you cannot earn both an eRx incentive and an EHR incentive in the same year if you elect to receive the EHR incentive payment through Medicare. NOTE: Just because you cannot claim the eRx bonus in conjunction with EHR incentive, you must still continue to ePrescribe to avoid the eRx penalty!

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CMS Publishes an Updated Q & A about Attesting with Multiple EHRs

 

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Question:  For the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, how should an eligible professional (EP), eligible hospital, or critical access hospital (CAH) that sees patients in multiple practice locations equipped with certified EHR technology calculate numerators and denominators for the meaningful use objectives and measures? 

 

 Answer:  EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs should look at the measure of each meaningful use objective to determine the appropriate calculation method for individual numerators and denominators.  The calculation of the numerator and denominator for each measure is explained in the July 28, 2010 final rule (75 FR 44314).

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Posted in: Electronic Medical Records, Medicare & Reimbursement

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ePrescribing Survivial Guide: Getting Your Ten Electronic Prescriptions Done in the Next 30 Days

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This is a busy time for most practices. Managers are preparing for the annual juggling act of getting staff and physicians coordinated for summer vacations. Practices are ramping up for new doctors joining their practice at the traditional end of residency programs in the summer. Many practices are in the midst of shopping for, negotiating for or implementing EMRs. And most everyone without an existing EMR is struggling with the e-prescribing deadline looming in 30 days. Read my first post on this topic here.

As a reminder:

  • Eligible professionals who are not successful e-prescribers, based on claims submitted between January 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011, may be subject to a “payment adjustment” (read payment cut) in their Medicare Part B Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for covered professional services in 2012.
  • Those that do not e-prescribe as a part of 10 Medicare patient encounters by June 30, 2011 will only receive 99% of their Medicare payment for all encounters in 2012.
  • Those that do not e-prescribe as a part of 25 encounters by December 31, 2011, will only receive 98.5% of their Medicare payments for all encounters in 2013 and only 98% of their Medicare payments for encounters during 2014 and going forward.

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CMS Holds National Provider Calls for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and EHR Attestation Q & A

 

Note: See my latest post on registering and attesting for the EHR Incentive Program here.

 

CMS has announced two national calls for attestation.

Tue May 3, 2-3:30pm ET (for Eligible Hospitals)

Thu May 5, 1:30-3pm ET (for Eligible Professionals)

CMS is holding conference calls for eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program to provide information on the attestation process. Mark your calendars for one of the calls below.

  • Tuesday, May 3, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. ET – Register to join this call if you are an eligible hospital or CAH who wants to learn more about the attestation process for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.
  • Thursday, May 5, 1:30 – 3:00 p.m. ET– Register to join this call if you are an EP who wants to learn more about the attestation process for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.

What the Calls Will Cover

  • Path to Payment – Highlighting the steps you need to take to receive your incentive payment
  • Walkthrough of the Attestation Process – Guiding you through CMS’ web-based attestation system
  • Troubleshooting – Helping you successfully attest through CMS’ system
  • Helpful Resources – Reviewing CMS’ resources available on the EHR website
  • Q&A – Answering your questions about the attestation process

Instructions on How to Register for a Call
To register for these calls, take the following steps:

  1. Visit either:
    • The registration site for the Tuesday, May 3 eligible hospital and CAH call. Registration closes Monday, May 2 , 2:00 p.m. ET.
    • The registration site for the Thursday, May 5 EP call. Registration closes Wednesday, May 4, 1:30 p.m. ET.
  2. Fill in all required information and click “Register.”
  3. You will be taken to the “Thank you for registering” page and will receive a confirmation email shortly thereafter. Please save this page in case your server blocks the confirmation email. (If you do not receive the confirmation email, check your spam/junk mail filter as it may have been directed there.)
  4. If assistance for hearing impaired services is needed, please email medicare.ttt@palmettogba.com no later than 3 business days before the call.

Prior to each call, presentation materials will be available in the Upcoming Events section of the Spotlight Page on the CMS EHR website.

Registration closes when all available space has been filled, or 24 hours before each call; no exceptions will be made, so please register early.


How will I attest for the Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs?

Medicare eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals will have to demonstrate meaningful use through CMS’ web-based Registration and Attestation System. In the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System, providers will fill in numerators and denominators for the meaningful use objectives and clinical quality measures, indicate if they qualify for exclusions to specific objectives, and legally attest that they have successfully demonstrated meaningful use. A complete EHR system will provide a report of the numerators, denominators and other information. Then you will need to enter that data into our online Attestation System. Providers will qualify for a Medicare EHR incentive payment upon completing a successful online submission through the Attestation System—immediately after you submit your results you will see a summary of your attestation, and whether or not it was successful. The Attestation System for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program will open on April 18, 2011.

For the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, providers will follow a similar process using their state’s Attestation System. Check here to see states’ scheduled launch dates for their Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.

Do you have questions about the EHR Incentive Programs? Do you want to find out if you are eligible, how much of an incentive payment you can earn, and learn more details about the program and what you need to do to qualify?

When can I attest?

To attest for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program in your first year of participation, you will need to have met meaningful use for a consecutive 90-day reporting period. If your initial attestation fails, you can select a different 90-day reporting period that may partially overlap with a previously reported 90-day period. To attest for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program in subsequent years, you will need to have met meaningful use for a full year. Please note the reporting period for eligible professionals must fall within the calendar year, while the reporting period for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals must fall during the Federal fiscal year.

April 18, 2011, is the earliest an eligible professional, eligible hospital or critical access hospital can attest that they have demonstrated meaningful use of certified EHR technology under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.

Under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, providers can attest that they have adopted, implemented or upgraded certified EHR technology in their first year of participation to receive an incentive payment. Medicaid EHR Incentive Program participants should check with their state to find out when they can begin participation.


What can I do now to prepare for attestation?

Visit the Registration page and get registered for the EHR Incentive Programs right now. If you haven’t previously registered, you can complete the registration and attestation process at the same time.

Also, review the Attestation User Guides, which provide step-by-step instructions for login and completing attestation. You can find separate Attestation User Guides for eligible professionals and eligible hospitals in the Resources section below.

Finally, you can enter your information in our Meaningful Use Attestation Calculator prior to submitting your attestation to see if you would be able to meet all of the necessary measures to successfully demonstrate meaningful use and qualify for an EHR incentive payment.


What will I need to login to the Attestation System?

If you are an eligible professional, you’ll need:

  • Your Type 1 National Provider Identifier (NPI)
  • The same user ID and password you used to register

If you are working on behalf of an eligible hospital or critical access hospital, you’ll need:

  • An active National Provider Identifier (NPI)
  • The same user ID and password you used to register
  • An EHR Certification Number from Office of the National Coordinator
  • If you did not register the facility, you’ll need an Identity and Access Management system (I&A) Web user account (User ID/Password) and be associated to the organization NPI, if you’re a user working on behalf of an eligible hospital or critical access hospital. Create a login in the I&A System if you’re working on behalf of an eligible hospital or Critical Access Hospital and don’t have an I&A web user account.


What is the CMS EHR Certification Number?

During attestation, CMS requires each eligible professional, eligible hospital and critical access hospital to provide a CMS EHR Certification ID or Number that identifies the certified EHR technology being used to demonstrate meaningful use. This unique CMS EHR Certification ID or Number can be obtained by entering the certified EHR technology product information at the Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL) on the ONC website here.

NOTE: The ONC CHPL Product Number issued to your vendor for each certified technology is different than the CMS EHR Certification ID. Only a CMS EHR Certification ID obtained through the CHPL will be accepted at attestation.

Eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals can obtain a CMS EHR Certification ID or Number by following these steps:

  1. Go to the ONC CHPL website.
  2. Select your practice type by selecting the Ambulatory or Inpatient buttons.
  3. Search for EHR Products by browsing all products, searching by product name or searching by criteria met.
  4. Add product(s) to your cart to determine if your product(s) meet 100% of the CMS required criteria.
  5. Request a CMS EHR Certification ID for CMS attestation.NOTE: The “Get CMS EHR Certification ID” button will not be activated until the products in your cart meet 100% of the CMS required criteria. If the EHR product(s) do not meet 100% of the CMS required criteria to demonstrate Meaningful Use, a CMS EHR Certification ID will not be issued.
  6. The CMS EHR Certification ID contains 15 alphanumeric characters.

 

I’m an Eligible Professional (EP).  Can I designate a third party to register and/or attest on my behalf?

In April 2011, CMS implemented functionality that allows an EP to designate a third party to register and attest on his or her behalf. To do so, users working on behalf of an EP must have an Identity and Access Management System (I&A) web user account (User ID/Password), and be associated to the EP’s NPI. If you are working on behalf of an EP(s), and do not have an I&A web user account, please visit I&A Security Check to create one. States will not necessarily offer the same functionality for attestation in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. Check with your State to see what functionality will be offered.


When will I get paid?

Incentive payments for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program will be made approximately four to six weeks after an eligible professional, eligible hospital or critical access hospital meets the program requirements and successfully attests they have demonstrated meaningful use of certified EHR technology. CMS expects that Medicare incentive payments will begin in May 2011. Payments will be held for eligible professionals until the eligible professional meets the $24,000 threshold in allowed charges.

Eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals attesting in April 2011 could receive their initial payments as early as May 2011. Final payment will be determined at the time of settling the hospital Medicare cost report.

Medicaid incentives will be paid by the states and are expected also to begin in 2011. States are required to issue incentive payments within 45 days of providers successfully attesting to having adopted, implemented or upgraded certified EHR technology during their first year of participation in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. Launch date for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program varies by state, so the earliest date attestation can begin also varies by state. Several states have disbursed incentive payments as early as April 2011.


How will I get paid?

Payments to Medicare providers will be made to the taxpayer identification number (TIN) you selected at the time you registered for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program.

CMS will deposit payment in the first bank account on file. It will appear on your bank statement as “EHR Incentive Payment”

If you receive payments for Medicare services via electronic funds transfer, you will receive Medicare EHR Incentive Program payment the same way. If you currently receive Medicare payments by paper check, you will also receive your first Medicare EHR Incentive Program payment by paper check.

IMPORTANT: Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), carriers and fiscal intermediaries will not be making these payments. CMS has contracted with a Payment File Development Contractor to make these payments.

Have questions about your EHR incentive payment?

DON’T: Call your MAC/carrier/fiscal intermediary with questions

DO: Call the EHR Information Center

1-888-734-6433. TTY users should call 1-888-734-6563

Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (Central Time) Monday through Friday, except federal holidays

Why the payment amount may be less than you thought: The Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System contains a Status tab at the top which will contain the amount of the incentive payment, the amount of tax or nontax offsets applied, and the remittance advice reason code containing the reason for any reduction.

For those receiving paper checks, there will be a tear-off pay stub which identifies offsets made to the incentive payment.

Where you can find more information about the offsets: For more information about tax offsets, call the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at 1-800-829-3903.

For more information about non tax offsets, call the Department of the Treasury, Financial Management Service (FMS) at 1-800-304-3107.


Will CMS conduct audits?

Any provider attesting to receive an EHR incentive payment for either the Medicare EHR Incentive Program or the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program potentially may be subject to an audit. Here’s what you need to know to make sure you’re prepared:

Overview of the CMS EHR Incentive Programs Audits

  • All providers attesting to receive an EHR incentive payment for either Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs should retain ALL relevant supporting documentation (in either paper or electronic format used in the completion of the Attestation Module responses).  Documentation to support the attestation should be retained for six years post-attestation. Documentation to support payment calculations (such as cost report data) should continue to follow the current documentation retention processes.
  • CMS, and its contractors, will perform audits on Medicare and dually-eligible (Medicare and Medicaid) providers.
  • States, and their contractors, will perform audits on Medicaid providers.
  • CMS and states will also manage appeals processes.

Preparing for an Audit

  • To ensure you are prepared for a potential audit, save the supporting electronic or paper documentation that support your attestation. Also save the documentation to support your Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs). Hospitals should also maintain documentation to support their payment calculations.
  • Upon audit, the documentation will be used to validate that the provided accurately attested and submitted CQMs, as well as to verify that the incentive payment was accurate.

Details of the Audits

  • There are numerous pre-payment edit checks built into the EHR Incentive Programs’ systems to detect inaccuracies in eligibility, reporting and payment.
  • Post-payment audits will also be completed during the course of the EHR Incentive Programs.
  • If, based on an audit, a provider is found to not be eligible for an EHR incentive payment, the payment will be recouped.
  • CMS will be implementing an appeals process for eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals that participate in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. More information about this process will be posted to the CMS Web site soon.
  • States will implement appeals processes for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. For more information about these appeals, please contact your State Medicaid Agency.


Where can I find user guides and other resources?

Below are step-by-step Attestation User Guides to help you attest for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program. You can also use our Attestation Worksheet, Meaningful Use Attestation Calculator, and educational webinar to help you prepare for and complete the attestation process:

The Electronic Health Record (EHR) Information Center is open to assist the EHR Provider Community with inquiries.

1-888-734-6433. TTY users should call 1-888-734-6563.

EHR Information Center Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. (Central Time) Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.

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How Do You Get That Stimulus Money for Using an Electronic Medical Record? (You Register!)

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Note: see my latest post on registering and attesting for the EHR Incentive Program here.

Registration opens on January 3, 2011 for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs

  1. Register as soon as possible after January 3, 2011.
  2. You can register before you have a certified EHR, but you will have to have an EHR when you attest.
  3. You can register even if you do not have an enrollment record in PECOS.
  4. A link to the Incentive Registration will be available here when it is published.
  5. Not all states will be ready to participate in the Medicaid program on January 3rd.  Information by state is here.

What do you have to have to register?

  1. A National Provider Identifier (NPI) All eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must have a National Provider Identifier (NPI) to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
  2. An enrollment record in the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) All eligible hospitals and Medicare eligible professionals must have an enrollment record in PECOS to participate in the EHR Incentive Programs. Eligible professionals who are only participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program are not required to be enrolled in PECOS. If you do not have an enrollment record in PECOS, you should still register for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
  3. CMS Identity and Access Management (I&A) User ID and Password
    • Eligible Professionals: Eligible professionals can use the same User ID and Password they use for the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). This is also the same User ID and Password that is used to access PECOS.  If you do not have an active User ID and Password for NPPES or PECOS, request them here. You will need your type 2 NPI, your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and your address from IRS Form CP-575. You will also need to mail a copy of IRS Form CP-575 as directed.
    • Hospitals/Critical Access Hospitals: Authorized Officials can use the same User ID and Password they use to access PECOS.  If you do not have an Authorized Official with access to PECOS, request a User ID and Password here. You will need your type 2 NPI, your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and your address from the IRS Form CP-575. You will need to mail a copy of the IRS Form CP-575 as directed.  Additional hospital staff will need to request access to the “EHR Incentive Programs” application here and be approved by the Hospital’s Authorized Official.

What else do you need to know about registration?

Hospitals:

  1. Hospitals that are eligible for EHR incentive payments under both Medicare and Medicaid should select “Both Medicare and Medicaid” during the registration process, even if they plan to apply only for a Medicaid EHR incentive payment by adopting, implementing, or upgrading certified EHR technology. Dually-eligible hospitals can then attest through CMS for their Medicare EHR incentive payment at a later date, if they so desire. It is important for a dually-eligible hospital to select “Both Medicare and Medicaid” from the start of registration in order to maintain this option.
  2. Hospitals that register only for the Medicaid program (or only the Medicare program) will not be able to manually change their registration (i.e., change to “Both Medicare and Medicaid” or from one program to the other) after a payment is initiated and this may cause significant delays in receiving a Medicare EHR incentive payment.

Eligible Professionals:

  1. Eligible professionals eligible for both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs must choose which incentive program they wish to participate in when they register.
  2. Before 2015, an eligible professional may switch programs only once after the first incentive payment is initiated. Most eligible professionals will maximize their incentive payments by participating in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.

The Electronic Health Record (EHR) Information Center is open to assist the EHR Provider Community with inquiries.

Hours of operation are:
8:30 a.m. ”“ 4:30 p.m. (Central Time) Monday through Friday (except federal holidays)
1-888-734-6433 (primary number) or 888-734-6563 (TTY number)

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