Billing Beat

Medicare EHR Incentive Program and Information on the Payment Threshold for Eligible Professionals – Upcoming Dates

January 31, 2012

As 2012 begins, CMS wants to remind eligible professionals (EPs) participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program of important deadlines approaching and what can still be completed in 2012 in order to receive an incentive payment for CY2011. On Saturday, December 31, 2011, the reporting year ended for EPs who participated in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program in 2011. For participating EPs, they must have completed their 90-day reporting period by the end of 2011.However, EPs have until Wednesday, February 29, 2012 to actually register and attest to meeting meaningful use to receive an incentive payment for CY2011. February 29, 2012 is also the deadline for EPs to submit any pending Medicare Part B claims from CY2011, as CMS allows 60 days after Saturday, December 31, 2011 for all pending claims to be processed. This means that EPs have 60 days in 2012 to submit claims for allowed charges incurred in 2011. Medicare EHR incentive payments to EPs are based on 75% of the Part B allowed charges for covered professional services furnished by the EP during the entire payment year. If the EP did not meet the $24,000 threshold in Part B allowed charges by the end of CY2011, CMS expects to issue an incentive payment for the EP in April 2012 for 75% of the EP’s Part B charges from 2011. Medicaid incentives will be paid by the states, but the timing will vary according to state.

Source: https://www.noridianmedicare.com/cgi-bin/coranto/viewnews.cgi?id=EFkZpZFFEVDDZwXXuQ&tmpl=part_b_viewnews&style=part_ab_viewnews

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