Electronic prescribers take note: A major deadline is approaching. Individual eligible professionals (EPs) and group practices participating in the Group Practice Reporting Option (GPRO) must successfully report as an electronic prescriber before June 30, 2013, in order to avoid a 2014 payment adjustment for professional services covered under Medicare Part B’s Physician Fee Schedule (PFS).
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a reminder on May 7, emphasizing that the 2013 ePrescription Incentive Program 6-month reporting period (Jan. 1, 2013, to June 30, 2013) is the final reporting period available to e-prescribers seeking to prevent the 2014 eRx payment adjustment.
“If you do not successfully report, a payment adjustment of 2 percent will be applied, and you will receive only 98 percent of your Medicare Part B PFS amount for covered services in 2014,” the CMS notice stated.
CMS said individual EPs and eRx GPRO participants who were not successful e-prescribers in 2012 can avoid 2014 eRx payment adjustment by meeting specified reporting requirements within the Jan. 1 – June 30, 2013 window. The 6-month reporting requirements are as follows:
- Individual EPs – 10 eRx events via claims
- eRX GPRO of 2-24 EPs — 75 eRx events via claims
- eRx GPRO of 25-99 EPs – 625 eRx events via claims
- eRx GPRO of 100+ EPs – 2,500 eRx events via claims
CMS said it will automatically exclude individual EPs and group practices who meet certain criteria. Click here to view a fact sheet with more information on exclusion criteria and hardship exception categories.
Additional resources on the 2014 payment adjustment are available here.
For help desk support regarding the eRx Incentive Program, eRx payment adjustments, or hardship exemption requests, call 866-288-8912 (helpline available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. CT). You may also email questions to qnetsupport@sdps.org.
Frank Irving is the Editor at PhysBizTech, a publication of MedTech Media that provides business and technology intelligence to forward-thinking medical practices.
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