* Welcome
* Attestation for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program Has Begun!
* CMS Has Paid Out $37M in EHR Incentives Already!
* Billing Tip: Medicare Expands Telehealth Services
* New Features
* Upcoming Events
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Welcome
Hello to all of our Azalea Health Innovations friends and thank you for reading this month’s Newsletter. We hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and are looking forward to a prosperous week ahead!
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Attestation for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program Begins Today!
This means that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) can attest through the CMS web-based attestation system and be on their way to receiving Medicare EHR incentive payments.
We can help you successfully attest
- A new attestation page on the CMS EHR website, where participants in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program can find important information on attestation.
- The Meaningful Use Attestation Calculator allows EPs and eligible hospitals to check whether they have met meaningful use guidelines before they attest in the system. The calculator prints a copy of each EP’s or eligible hospital’s specific measure summary.
- The Eligible Professional User Guide and the Eligible Hospital and Critical Access Hospital User Guide provide step-by-step guidance for EPs and eligible hospitals on navigating the attestation system.
Coming soon
- Attestation Worksheets for EPs and eligible hospitals allow users to fill out their meaningful use measure values, so they have a quick reference tool to use while attesting.
- Attestation Video Webinars will provide a video version of the user guides for EPs, eligible hospitals and CAHs. The videos show EP and eligible hospital representatives completing the attestation process.
If you are not ready to attest, follow these steps to participate in the programs:
- Make sure you’re eligible for the EHR Incentive Programs. View eligibility guidelines at the Eligibility page and select the program in which you want to participate.
- Get registered. Registration is open for EPs, eligible hospitals, and CAHs. Visit the Registration page for more details.
- Use certified EHR technology. To receive incentive payments, make sure the EHR technology you’re using or are considering buying has been certified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Visit CMS’s Certified EHR Technology page for details.
- Be a Meaningful User. You have to successfully demonstrate “meaningful use” for a consecutive 90-day period in your first year of participation (and for a full year in each subsequent years) to receive EHR incentive payments. Visit the Meaningful Use page to learn about meaningful use objectives and measures.
- Attest for incentive payments. To get your EHR incentive payment, you must attest through Medicare’s secure website that you’ve demonstrated meaningful use with certified EHR technology.
Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?
Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.
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CMS Has Paid Out $37M in EHR Incentives Already!
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that $37,570,328.55 of Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs has been disbursed so far this year. CMS officials reported earlier in the year that it plans to mail incentive checks beginning May 2011. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) reported just last month that some 14,000 eligible providers have registered for the program since it opened January 3, 2011, with many more flooding in on a daily basis. The announcement from CMS came via Twitter, with CMS advising their followers to “Get your share.”
To find out more about the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs and how to register for your incentive payments, visit our Government Incentives Center at www.azaleahealth.com/incentives.
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Billing Tip: Medicare Expands Telehealth Services
Telehealth services are becoming more widely recognized with insurance payers and so is reimbursement for those services. Telehealth uses video conferencing technology that allows a healthcare provider to talk to and see patients in real time. The main drawback is that providers cannot physically examine the patient, administer medicine, or perform any surgeries. There are however many services a physician can offer to patients that do not require the patient to be in the same room. Individuals living in rural and medically under-served areas are the primary beneficiary of these telehealth services. Patients now have the option to see a healthcare provider in person or via telehealth if it is more convenient.
For dates of service on or after January 1, 2011, Medicare contractors will accept and pay the added codes according to the appropriate physician or practitioner fee schedule amount when submitted with a GQ or GT modifier.
Recently Medicare added the following services to the list of covered telehealth services: Keep in mind that claims for these services must include one of the telehealth modifiers GQ or GT.
1. Individual and group kidney disease education (KDE) services;
- G0420 (face-to-face educational services related to the care of chronic kidney disease; individual, per session, per 1 hour); and
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $107.98
- G0421 (face-to-face educational services related to the care of chronic kidney disease; group, per session, per 1 hour).
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $25.57
2. Individual and group diabetes self-management training (DSMT) services; (there is a minimum of 1 hour of in-person instruction to be furnished in the initial year training period to ensure effective injection training)
- G0108 (diabetes outpatient self-management training services, individual, per 30 minutes); and
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $53.21
- G0109 (diabetes outpatient self-management training services, group session (two or more) per 30 minutes).
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $18.08
3. Group medical nutrition therapy (MNT) services; group health and behavior assessment and intervention (HBAI) services;
- 97804 (medical nutrition therapy; group (two or more individuals), each 30 minutes);
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $13.60
- 96153 (health and behavior intervention, each 15 minutes, face-to-face; group (two or more patients); and
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $4.66
- 96154 (health and behavior intervention, each 15 minutes, face-to-face; family [with the patient present]).
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $18.79
4. Subsequent hospital care (limited to one telehealth visit every 3 days)
- 99231 (subsequent hospital care, per day);
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $37.56
- 99232 (subsequent hospital care, per day); and
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $67.87
- 99233 (subsequent hospital care, per day).
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $97.48
5. Nursing facility care services. (limited to one telehealth visit every 30 days)
- 99307 (subsequent nursing facility care, per day);
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $41.11
- 99308 (subsequent nursing facility care, per day);
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $63.28
- 99309 (subsequent nursing facility care, per day); and
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $83.24
- 99310 (subsequent nursing facility care, per day).
- GA Locality 99 Par Non Facility Reimbursement $123.42
Frequency limitations for subsequent hospital care and subsequent nursing facility care via telehealth do not apply to inpatient telehealth consultations (G0406, G0407, G0408, G0425, G0426, or G0427).
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New Features
If you haven’t had the chance to check out last month’s New Features email, please click on the following link, New Features – April 2011, to view the the features that were added last month to Azalea PM™. As always we are working to keep our software as update and user friendly as possible, so don’t forget to look out tomorrow for May’s New Features email to see the latest additions to your practice management system!
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Upcoming Events
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 eRx™ as well as our Revenue Cycle Management services at the Savannah Area Medical Managers Association (SAMMA) Annual Spring Meeting. The meeting will be held in Savannah, GA on May 19, 2011 from 3pm – 7pm at the Hilton Garden Inn.
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 Alabama Academy of Family Practitioners (AAFP) 2011 Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium. The conference will be held June 23-25, 2011 at the Sandestin Resort in Destin, 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!
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Thank you!
Azalea Health Innovations, Inc.
100 North Patterson Street
Valdosta, GA 31601
Toll Free: 877-777-7686
Local: 229-269-4620
Toll Free Fax: 866-683-8679
Web: http://www.AzaleaHealth.com
Email: info@azaleahealth.com
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