Reminder: Deadline to File eRx Hardship Letter

October 11, 2011 – This is a reminder that the deadline to request a hardship exemption for the 2012 Medicare Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program adjustment for Calendar Year 2011 is November 1, 2011.  See the next article in this issue on how to apply for the exemption(s).
 
The following are CMS’ approved hardship exemptions.

• Limited Prescribing Activity – An EP who has prescribing privileges but does not prescribe or very infrequently prescribes in his or her own practice;
• Insufficient Opportunities to Report the eRx measure due to limitations of the Measure’s Denominator(CPT code(s)) – An EP who does not normally write prescriptions associated with any types of visits included in the eRx’s denominator code because the bulk of their prescribing activity occurs in other circumstances that are not accounted for by the measure’s denominator (CPTcode);
• Inability to Electronically Prescribe Due to Local, State or Federal Law or Regulation – EPs who prescribe large volumes of narcotics, which may not be electronically prescribed in some states, or EPs who practice in a State that prohibits or limits the transmission of electronic prescriptions via a third party network;
• EPs or group practices that practice in rural areas with limited high speed internet access (G8642) and
• EPs or group practices that practice in an area with limited available pharmacies for eRx(G8643)
• Using EHR Certified Technology as a Qualified eRx System
  Use of a qualified electronic prescribing system includes certified EHR technology as defined at 42 CFR 495.4 and 45 CFR 170.102, regardless of whether the Certified EHR Technology has all four of the required functionalities of the original eRx incentive program.  However, this change will not take place until the effective date of the final rule, which was October 6, 2011, and will only be effective for the remainder of the reporting period in CY 2011 for the 2011 eRx incentive and the 2013 eRx payment adjustment.
   
  If an EP did not submit the required ten (10) e-prescribe measures via claims-submission before June 30, 2011, because the EP intended to apply the use of EHR Certified Technology for prescriptions, the EP will still receive payment adjustment penalties for 2012. 

Click on the website below for more information.
 
http://cms.gov/erxincentive

Tags: eRx Incentive Program