Get the Facts about the HITECH Act

Exposing Common Myths

Confused about the HITECH Act and what you need to do to qualify for the up to $64,000 per provider stimulus incentives?  You’re not alone!  There is a lot of misinformation out there--not only about what YOU need to do, but what your EHR solution provider needs to do, as well. Here, we expose some of the common myths about the HITECH Act, along with THE FACTS about what you need to do to ensure you can collect.

MYTH: This program will probably be out of money before I’m paid, so why should I bother?

FACT:  While no one can say for sure how long this program will be in effect, more than $20 billion in funding is available, so the program will certainly be funded for at least the first few years.  If you wait a couple of years to implement EHR, a lack of funds is a possibility. As with all government programs, to be safe, you should begin your search now to implement EHR in order to avoid future funding issues.

MYTH: I should wait to purchase an EHR system because the process for “certifying” EHRs is not yet in place.

FACT: The longer you wait to begin the process, the greater the risk that your practice won’t be ready to demonstrate effective “meaningful use” of EHR when the incentive period starts in 2011.The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Care Information Technology has already begun recognizing certification bodies. The first to be recognized was the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), which  began accepting applications for certification on 10/7/2009  In addition to its established CCHIT Certified® Comprehensive programs, CCHIT also launched a more limited, modular Preliminary ARRA certification program. Both programs inspect electronic health record (EHR) technology for the first time against proposed Federal standards to support providers in qualifying  for 2011-2012 incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).  To be safe, select an EHR system that is a CCHIT Certified® 2011 Ambulatory EHR.

MYTH:  CCHIT certification is irrelevant because there will be other certifying bodies.

FACT: CCHIT is currently the only certification body.  While other certification bodies may be identified in the future, they will need time to ramp up.   CCHIT is the only organization in a position to certify EHR systems today.

MYTH:I have to wait for EHR systems to receive certification for my specialty.

FACT: Currently, speciality certification is not required to guarantee federal incentive payments. While there may be specialty requirements developed in the future, specialty EHR certification is NOT required for incentive payments.

MYTH: I don't see enough Medicare and Medicaid patients so why bother? 

FACT:

For Medicare:  Incentive payments are pro-rated based upon your volume of services provided.   The incentive payments are equal to 75% of the allowable Medicare charges up to $18,000 in the first year.  And the yearly cap is ramped down over the following four years for a maximum reimbursement of $44,000 over a five-year period.

For Medicaid:  While 30% of your patients must be Medicaid recipients, you can earn incentives equal to 85% of the allowable Medicaid charges up to $21,000 in the first year.   Incentive payments in the following five years are capped at $8,500 per year, for a maximum total of $63,500.

Both the Medicare and Medicaid incentives are per provider.  If you have multiple providers in your practice, these incentives will add up and can be substantial.

MYTH: Any EHR product that does E-prescribing will qualify.

FACT: At a minimum, the EHR must meet the meaningful use requirements, which includes e-prescribing and 27 other capabilities.

MYTH: I’ve heard that all the interoperability standards haven’t been agreed to yet and that if I choose an EHR vendor now, I might not be eligible.

FACT: Specific “interoperability standards” are not a requirement for qualifying for the stimulus incentives. Rather, the software must have the “capability to exchange key clinical information”.