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Learn all about the Economic Stimulus Plan and how Abraxas can help you capitalize on Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments and receive maximum dollars available.
With unprecedented incentives of up to $63,750 per Eligible Professional for implementing electronic health records (EHR), there is a lot of interest on behalf of medical providers to learn more about the Stimulus Plan and how they can benefit from it. Therefore, we have created this page as an information center covering some of the most commonly asked questions concerning the Stimulus Plan and how medical practices can benefit from it.
What is the 2009 Stimulus Plan?The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), widely referred to as the Economic Stimulus Plan was signed into law in February 2009. The Act aims to stimulate the economy through investments in infrastructure, unemployment benefits, transportation, education, and healthcare. What is in it for you?The part of the stimulus bill that pertains directly to medical providers is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, or HITECH Act. The HITECH Act contains multiple economic incentives to accelerate the adoption of Electronic Health Records by medical providers nationwide, including $20 billion via Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments to aid eligible medical providers in adopting electronic health records. If you are an Eligible Provider, and you become a Meaningful User of a Certified EHR by 2011, you can receive:
Medicare EligibilityAre you eligible to receive the incentives of up to $44,000 from Medicare? In order to receive Medicare incentives for up to $44,000, you need to be an Eligible Professional and adopt and use a certified EHR in a meaningful manner.
Eligible Professional under Medicare is any Medicare provider who is a :
Medicaid EligibilityAre you eligible to receive the incentives of up to $63,750 from Medicaid? In order to receive Medicaid incentives of up to $63,750, you need to be an Eligible Professional who has at least 30% Medicaid patients, and adopt and use a certified EHR in a meaningful way. Pediatricians can qualify under the Medicaid incentive if they have at least 20% Medicaid patients, but they would be eligible for only two-thirds of the incentive payments available to physicians meeting the 30% standard.
Eligible Professional under Medicaid is any Medicaid provider who is a:
How can Abraxas help you?In order to qualify under the Medicare or Medicaid incentive plans, you need to demonstrate that you are a "Meaningful User" of a "Certified EHR". According to the Final Ruling for Stage One (1), announced July 13, 2010, in order to demonstrate that you are a “meaningful user” of a Certified EHR, you should meet all the fifteen (15) objectives of the “Core Set” as well as at least five (5) of the objectives in the “Menu Set”. In addition to meeting specific security and privacy criteria, a Certified EHR software is expected to handle patient demographic and clinical information, such as medical history and problem lists, and have the capacity to provide clinical decision support, to capture and query information relevant to healthcare quality, and to exchange electronic health information
Abraxas EMR meets and exceeds the requirements for Stage 1 Certification, and is currently in the process of becoming certified.
Abraxas EMR VERSION 4.1.7 is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on December 17, 2010 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an ONC-ATCB, in accordance with the applicable ELIGIBLE PROVIDER certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The 2011/2012 criteria support the Stage 1 meaningful use measures required to qualify eligible providers and hospitals for funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).meets and exceeds the requirements for Stage 1 Certification, and is currently in the process of becoming certified. We can help you become a "Meaningful User": Our team of experienced project managers and trainers can help you meet the required objectives of the Core Set and the Menu Set, so that you can apply and receive your Stimulus funds.
Abraxas is commitment to help you achieve and maintain your status as a “Meaningful User” of Certified technology. What are the Medicare incentives?All Medicare Eligible Professionals (see Medicare Eligibility above) who are Meaningful Users of a Certified EHR are qualified to receive stimulus payments of up to $44,000 per physician over five years according to the following schedule:
 What are the Medicaid incentives?All Medicaid Eligible Professionals (see Medicaid Eligibility above) who are Meaningful Users of a Certified EHR are qualified to receive up to $63,750, according to the following schedule:
The exact incentive is calculated at 85% of the Net Average Allowable Cost of the EHR system, including cost of software, hardware, implementation, training, maintenance, etc.; and it is capped at a maximum per year according to the following schedule:
Net Average Allowable Cost of the EHR system includes cost of software, hardware, implementation, training, maintenance, etc.
Can you be eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid incentives?Eligible Professionals can apply for either Medicare incentives or Medicaid incentives, but not both. When will incentives be available?Beginning January 1st, 2011, Eligible Providers who can show Meaningful Use of a Certified EHR for 90 days will receive their first year Medicare incentive payment. Are there penalties for not using an EMR?Starting January 1, 2015, Eligible Providers who are not Meaningful Users of a Certified EHR technology will begin to have their Medicare reimbursements drop 1% per year until it reaches 5% in 2020. Why should you act NOW?Once you select an EHR software, additional time is required for implementation and training so that your staff would become proficient in the use of the software. Furthermore, most experts predict, it could take six month to a year of active EMR use at the point-of-care, for it to be considered “meaningful use”. Waiting will delay and reduce what you may receive in stimulus payments. Industry experts are predicting an unprecedented surge in number of medical practices purchasing EMR and rushing to learn it to be considered a “Meaningful User” in 2011. Providers who choose to wait can expect the following:
Other incentives you may qualify forElectronic Prescription Incentives: Bonus payment of 2% on allowable Medicare Part B charges provided the eligible professional reports one e-prescribing measure in at least 50% of the cases in which the measure is reportable by the eligible professional. >>Read more Tax Deduction Benefits for EMR: Medical offices are allowed to write-off up to $250,000 of EMR software and computer equipment costs purchased and placed in service during 2011, even when purchased under a lease or financing agreement. This Section 179 tax deduction limit will decrease to $25,000 in 2012. >>Read more ResourcesFor the full text of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, please visit www.whitehouse.gov; "Certification and Meaningful Use", Testimony of Dr. Leavitt (Chairman of the CCHIT) before the NCVCH Executive Committee, please visit CCHIT.org. * To the best of our knowledge, this information is accurate as of this writing. As more information becomes available from HHS and other agencies, this page will be updated. Please check this link regularly. |
