EHR Incentive Payment Deadline Looms

If you are participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive program, your first payment is determined by you attesting to the meaningful use of certified EHR technology for 90 consecutive days. The first calendar year for the program is 2011. So in order to receive the first payment for the calendar year 2011 you would have had to have begun your 90 days yesterday. In order for you to receive the maximum $44K in the Medicare program you will need to begin and successfully attest to your 90 meaningful days by October 3, 2012. If you have attested and received your first payment for the calendar year 2011, to receive your second payment for the calendar year 2012, you must attest to meaningful use for the entire year. This works the same for 2012 and 2013 for your first and second payments.

Remember that timing is only half the requirement to receive the maximum payments. EPs must also met the Medicare billable services threshold for maximum incentive payments.  EHR Incentive Payments are based on 75% of your total Medicare allowed charges submitted no later than two months after the end of the 2011 calendar year. In other words, the amount will be calculated from your allowed services billed to Medicare Part B (MPFS) for 2011. You have until the end of February 2012 to bill service dates of 2011. The maximum allowed charges used for a 2011 incentive payment is $24,000, which means that the maximum incentive payment an EP can receive for the first participating year is $18,000. If you begin participation in 2012 the calculation is the same but it will be based on your allowed charges billed to Medicare Part B for 2012. See the chart below.

Medicare Eligible Professional Payment Schedule

If your Medicaid patient volumes allow you to participate in the Medicaid program, you have five years to complete the program and have until 2016 to begin. See the chart below.

Medicaid Eligible Professional Payment Schedule