IN THIS ISSUE

* Welcome
* EHR Incentive Program Registration has Begun!
* Billing Tip: Medicare updates to Drug Screen codes
* Prescription Drug Database Battle in Georgia
* Azalea eRx™ is Now Available!
* New Features
* Upcoming Events

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Welcome

Greetings to all of our Azalea Health Innovations friends and thank you for reading our newsletter. We hope that everyone is staying warm and well this winter season, and that all of you are having a wonderful 2011 so far!

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EHR Incentive Program Registration Has Begun!

Registration for the Medicare and Medicaid incentive programs began on January 3, 2011. Have you registered yet? The sooner you register for the incentive programs, the better your chances for receiving the maximum payment, which is up to $44,000 through the Medicare program and $63,750 through the Medicaid program for eligible professionals. Incentive payments are available for eligible professionals who have invested in certified EHR technology and demonstrate meaningful use. It is possible for an eligible professional to choose between the two programs if they are eligible for both, but they are only allowed to change between programs once, after the initial incentive payment has been received. The first incentive payments are set to go out in May 2011.

As an eligible professional, the way to receive the first incentive payments from Medicare requires that the professional have certified EHR technology and demonstrate meaningful use every year they participate in the program. For the first year of participation, meaningful use must be demonstrated for a consecutive 90-day period in the first year, and for a full year in each of the subsequent years. The reporting year to qualify for the first batch of incentive payments in May 2011 began on January 1, 2011. However, the last day for eligible professionals to begin their 90-day reporting period for calendar year 2011 is October 1, 2011. The last day for eligible professionals to register and latest date to receive an Incentive Payment for the calendar year of 2011 is February 29, 2012.

Visit http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/ for more information on finding out eligibility and registration information!

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Billing Tip: Medicare updates to Drug Screen codes

Once again Medicare has decided to update the coding requirements for drug screening. In 2010, HCPCS codes G0430 and G0431 were introduced to replace CPT codes 80100 and 80101. Now it appears there have been some more changes to drug screening codes and their definitions. The drug screen coding changes have been listed below. These definitions are taken directly from the 2011 HCPCS Medicare Level II Expert edition released by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).

G0430 DELETED – Drug screen, qualitative, multiple drug classes other than chromatographic method, each procedure.

G0430 was deleted effective 12/31/2010 for dates of service on or after 01/01/2011 see  code(s) G0434

G0431 REVISED DEFINITION – Drug screen, qualitative; multiple drug classes by high complexity test method (e.g., immunoassay, enzyme assay), per patient encounter.

G0434 NEW – Drug screen, other than chromatographic; any number of drug classes, by CLIA waved test or moderate complexity test, per patient encounter.

As of the date of this newsletter, Medicare has not yet released an official MLN Matters article or any guidelines on the appropriate uses of these codes.

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Prescription Drug Database Battle in Georgia

Georgia is currently still in the process of attempting to pass a bill for the state to create a mandatory electronic database to monitor prescription drugs. The Georgia General Assembly is attempting to push through this legislation, which has already been passed and created by law enforcement from other states across the country, allowing for controlled substance reporting. This massive database would be created, maintained, and administered by the Georgia Drugs and Narcotics Agency. Access would be available for doctors, pharmacists, patients, and “other entities authorized by law,” according to the GDNA. This not only puts into question the basic right of patient-doctor privacy, but also whether or not such legislation is even necessary. The burden of creating an unnecessary database for a state, among the government budget concerns of the economy, may seem irresponsible to pass.

However, safety is the main reason for pursuing to pass this bill, as it would then offer a way to monitor patient prescriptions for pain medications and other prescription drugs. Prescription drug abuse contributed to almost 85% of drug related deaths in Georgia (statistics from July 2009), and has been on an upward trend for the past decade. Another perk of passing this bill allows for the state of Georgia to receive federal grants.

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Azalea eRx™ is Now Available!

Azalea Health Innovations is excited to introduce Azalea eRx™, a high-quality and certified ePrescribing solution. Azalea eRx™ is available as a stand-alone product, or can be integrated into both Azalea PM™ and Azalea Labhub™. All eligible providers who use Azalea eRx™ this year will qualify to receive a 1% Medicare incentive payment in 2012, while at the same time preventing themselves from falling victim to a negative 1% reimbursement in 2012 for not participating in ePrescribing. Upon 2012, negative reimbursements will reach up to 2% in the following years.

For more information on Azalea eRx™, and how it can benefit your practice, click here for the full press release or visit us at www.azaleahealth.com/eprescribing.

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New Features

As always we are happy to offer, each month, more and more features in Azalea PM™.  Just in case you missed out on taking advantage of the new features released last month, we invite you to visit the following link, New Features  - January 2011, to see all the many ways these features can benefit your practice. Look out tomorrow for our New Features – February 2011 email to learn how to best utilize the newest features developed to enhance your practice management software!

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Upcoming Events

AHI will be showcasing a variety of products and services, including Azalea PM™ and Praxis EMR, at the MGMA/ Winter Conference in Birmingham, AL. The conference will be held at the Wynfrey Hotel, March 2-4, 2011.

AHI will be exhibiting Azalea PM™ and many other products and services at the upcoming MGMA/ Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. The conference will be held at the Caribe Royale Resort, May 9-10, 2011.

AHI will be showcasing Azalea LabHub™ at the CLMA ThinkLab 2011 Conference in Baltimore, MD. The conference will be held at the Baltimore Convention Center, May 22-24, 2011. We will be located at booth # 325. Come by and say hello!

AHI will be promoting Azalea PM™, EMR solutions, and our Revenue Cycle Management services at the 108th Family Medicine Weekend for the Florida Academy of Family Practitioners (FAFP). The conference will be held July 15-17, 2011 at the Hilton in Orlando, FL.

AHI will be exhibiting our Azalea PM™ product, Revenue Cycle Management Services, and much more at the MGMA / Summer Conference in Destin, FL. The conference will be held at the Hilton Sandestin Beach and Golf Resort. August 1-3, 2011.

We hope to see all of you at our upcoming events!