CROP Applications Due May 16th

Colorado Rural Outreach Program (CROP) grant money can be used to recruit new healthcare professionals or retain the ones already on your staff by repaying portions of the healthcare professional’s educational loans, or by giving a retention bonus if all educational loans are paid off. CROP currently offers two grant cycles per year as funds are available, in the spring and the fall.

Applications are currently being accepted for the spring grant cycle. Applications MUST be postmarked by May 16th, 2011 to be considered for funding.

Please download the application packet and coversheet online. Please fill out, and save, the coversheet in Microsoft Word. You may submit your application via email, or postal mail. If submitting via email, please make the narrative and all attachments ONE inclusive document. The coversheet may be separate. Please send your CROP application to:

Attn: Grants Manager
Colorado Rural Health Center
3033 S. Parker Rd., Suite 606
Aurora, CO 80014
ep@coruralhealth.org
Main: 303.832.7493 x 234
Fax: 303.832.7496

For more information on the CROP program and to see if your organization is eligible, please click here. For questions, contact Erica Petramala at ep@coruralhealth.org.

Eligible Professionals Can Allow a Third Party to Register & Attest

Posted recently on the CMS FAQ site was the following question and answer:

Can EPs allow another person to register or attest for them?

Yes. Users registering or attesting on behalf of an EP must have an Identity and Access Management System (I&A) web user account (User ID/Password) and be associated to the EP's NPI. If you are working on behalf of an EP(s) and do not have an I&A web user account, please visit https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov/NPPES/IASecurityCheck.do to create one.

For this question and dozens of other questions, please visit CMS' Frequently Asked Questions on the EHR Incentive Program site.

National Provider Calls on Attestation for the Medicare EHR Incentive Program

Tue May 3, 2-3:30pm ET (for Eligible Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals)
Thu May 5, 1:30-3pm ET (for Eligible Professionals)

CMS is holding conference calls for eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program to provide information on the attestation process. Mark your calendars for one of the two calls, depending on their particular audience.

What the Calls Will Cover:
 Path to Payment – Highlighting the steps you need to take to receive your incentive payment
 Walkthrough of the Attestation Process – Guiding you through CMS’s web-based attestation system
 Troubleshooting – Helping you successfully attest through CMS’s system
 Helpful Resources – Reviewing CMS’s resources available on the EHR website
 Q&A – Answering your questions about the attestation process

To register for the eligible CAHs or hospitals call, click here.

To register for the eligible professionals call, click here.

Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Payment Adjustment Information

Beginning 2012, Section 132 of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (P.L.110-275) (MIPPA) requires CMS to subject eligible professionals who are not successful electronic prescribers under the eRx Incentive Program to a payment adjustment. This payment adjustment applies to all of the eligible professional's Part B-covered professional services under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS). From 2012 through 2014, the payment adjustment will increase with each new reporting period. Accordingly, for 2012, eligible professionals receiving a payment adjustment will be paid 1.0% less than the MPFS amount for that service. In 2013 and 2014, the payment adjustment increases to 1.5% and 2.0% respectively.

Significant Hardship Exception: Eligible professionals may be exempt from the application of the payment adjustment if CMS determines that compliance with the requirement for being a successful electronic prescriber would result in a significant hardship. This hardship exception is subject to annual renewal.

For more information on Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Payment Adjustment, click here.

Medicaid EHR Incentive Program: Aggregating Visits for an Entire Clinic or RHC

If an eligible professional (EP) in the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program wants to leverage a clinic or group practice's patient volume as a proxy for the individual EP, how should a clinic or group practice account for EPs practicing with them part-time and/or applying for the incentive through a different location (e.g., where an EP is practicing both inside and outside the clinic/group practice, such as part-time in two clinics)?

EPs may use a clinic or group practice's patient volume as a proxy for their own under three conditions:

(1) The clinic or group practice's patient volume is appropriate as a patient volume methodology calculation for the EP (for example, if an EP only sees Medicare, commercial, or self-pay patients, this is not an appropriate calculation);
2) there is an auditable data source to support the clinic's patient volume determination;
3) so long as the practice and EPs decide to use one methodology in each year (in other words, clinics could not have some of the EPs using their individual patient volume for patients seen at the clinic, while others use the clinic-level data). The clinic or practice must use the entire practice's patient volume and not limit it in any way. EPs may attest to patient volume under the individual calculation or the group/clinic proxy in any participation year. Furthermore, if the EP works in both the clinic and outside the clinic (or with and outside a group practice), then the clinic/practice level determination includes only those encounters associated with the clinic/practice.

For more information on this FAQ and to view all of the other FAQs, click here.

Medicare EHR Incentive Program Attestation Began Monday!

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.

Several new CMS resources can help you successfully navigate the Medicare EHR Incentive Program:

• 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.

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.

Use of Health Information Technology in Support of Patient-Centered Medical Homes Is Low Among Non-metropolitan Family Medicine Practices

By creating a medical home program within Medicare, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 gave momentum to growing interest in the concept of a patient-centered medical home (PCMH). Are physician practices, especially non-metropolitan primary care practices, ready to become PCMHs? We use a nationwide survey of physician practices to partially answer this question, focusing on the use of health information technology.

To read to survey, click here.

Contact information:
Keith J. Mueller, PhD
Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Phone: 319-384-5121
Keith-mueller@uiowa.edu

CMS' EHR Incentive Program Links

In yesterday's THE Consortium Webinar, David Ginsberg mentioned the updated EHR Incentive Program website from CMS. This website has been updated to include numerous resources such as an extensive list of FAQs, Registration information including a User's Guide and a preview of the Attestation Site. An Attestation User's Guide will be available soon.

To view the EHR Incentive Program Registration site, click here.

To view the EHR Incentive Program FAQs, click here.

If after viewing any of the resources available you have any questions about the EHR Incentive Program, Meaningful Use, Registration or Attestation, please email Tracy McDonald, HIT Program Coordinator, at tm@coruralhealth.org.

To register for the upcoming Consortium Webinar, HIPAA-HITECH and Your EHR-Updates from the Final Rule on May 19th, click here.

USDA Capital Loans and Grants Available for HIT Purchases

USDA Rural Development can support rural health providers in Colorado through the Community Facilities program. With few sources of capital available in rural America, rural health care providers can look to this program to help fund software and hardware purchases to meet Health IT requirements and deadlines. Loan and limited grant funding is available. For information please contact your local Rural Development Office: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/co/contact-us.htm.

Use of Health Information Technology in Support of Patient-Centered Medical Homes Is Low among Non-metropolitan Family Medicine Practices

A new policy brief is available from the RUPRI Center: Use of Health Information Technology in Support of Patient-Centered Medical Homes Is Low among Non-metropolitan Family Medicine Practices.

By creating a medical home program within Medicare, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 gave momentum to growing interest in the concept of a patient-centered medical home (PCMH). Are physician practices, especially non-metropolitan primary care practices, ready to become PCMHs? We use a nationwide survey of physician practices to partially answer this question, focusing on the use of health information technology.

Please click on the following link to download a copy of this brief: http://cph.uiowa.edu/rupri/publications/policybriefs/2011/PCMH%20Readiness%20Brief%20040511%20FINAL.pdf

THE Consortium Webinar: Attesting and Earning Incentive Funds

Join us for the April Consortium webinar on Thursday, April 14th from 12:00-1:15 pm MDT where we will focus on up-to-date information and learning related to incentive funds and the attestation process for Medicare and the review process with Medicaid. April 2011 is the earliest date for attesting and applying for Medicare incentive funds, so don't miss out on this learning opportunity!

To register for this webinar, click here.

The Forum 2011: Essential Perspectives for Safety Net Providers

Wednesday, April 20th - Thursday, April 21st Red Lion Hotel in Aurora, CO

The Forum is a two-day conference that will bring together participants from all over Colorado and the surrounding states. It serves as an essential educational, training, and networking event for all safety net clinics, members of the clinic team, and other interested parties. The Colorado Rural Health Center and ClinicNET have partnered to present this event. Opportunities for sponsorships are now available.

There will be two sessions dedicated to Meaningful Use presented by David Ginsberg. To see an agenda, click here.

For more information and to register please click here.

Colorado EHR Selection Summit Hosted by CORHIO May 20th and 21st

CORHIO and the Colorado Regional Extension Center (CO-REC) invite physicians and key staff to attend the first annual Colorado EHR Selection Summit.

At this 1 & 1/2-day event, you will learn best practices for implementing an EHR and have a unique opportunity to compare certified EHR systems using real-life clinical scenarios.

This event is specifically designed for practices that are considering the purchase of an EHR for the first time and also for practices that have an EHR but are considering a replacement.

For more information, click here.

Doctors using fully implemented EHRs report lower costs, higher productivity

Most physicians who have fully implemented EHR systems see lower costs and increased productivity, an MGMA survey finds.

Ambulatory-care physicians who have implemented an electronic health-record system are largely satisfied with their purchases, and their satisfaction increases if they have their EHR systems optimized, according to data from a survey by the Medical Group Management Association. To view that survey, click here.

To read the complete article, click here.