CMS must resolve differences in the meaningful use and electronic prescribing incentive payment programs, according to a Government Accountability Office report, Government Health IT reports.
Details of Meaningful Use, E-Prescribing Incentives
Both the meaningful use program and the E Prescription program will provide incentive payments to encourage the adoption of health IT. Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health records can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments (Mosquera, Government Health IT, 2/18).
According to the GAO report, the meaningful use program allocates incentive payments from 2011 to 2016 and starts penalizing health care providers in 2015 for failing to meaningfully use health IT.
Meanwhile, the e-prescribing program started paying out incentives in 2009 and will continue to do so through 2013. Health care providers who do not e-prescribe would face penalties beginning in 2012 (Zigmond, Modern Healthcare, 2/18).
Inconsistencies in Incentive Programs
According to the report, both programs encourage health care providers to adopt health IT that can perform similar activities related to e-prescribing. However, the meaningful use program requires adoption of health IT systems certified to meet specific criteria, while the e-prescribing program has no such certification requirement (Government Health IT, 2/18).
The report noted, “As a result, providers have no assurance that the systems they invest in will meet the electronic prescribing program’s requirements” (Modern Healthcare, 2/18).
The two programs also set up separate reporting benchmarks for e-prescribing. The meaningful use program contains five e-prescribing reporting requirements, compared with one in the e-prescribing program.
Linda Kohn — director of health care issues at GAO — said these inconsistencies could lead to uncertainty among health care providers as to what type of health IT to acquire (Government Health IT, 2/18).
Recommendations
GAO recommended that the CMS administrator:
- Advise health care providers to adopt certified EHR systems;
- Eliminate any overlapping e-prescribing reporting requirements in the two programs; and
- Review whether health care providers who receive e-prescribing incentive payments are meeting the program’s requirements (Modern Healthcare, 2/18).
Tags: Certified Prescription, E-Prescribing, E-Prescription, Electronic Prescription, eRx, SureScripts
Posted March 8, 2011 by admin under E-Prescription, Electronic Prescription
