The goal of the Federal Government is to motivate healthcare providers to implement and use certified electronic health records (E.H.R.) for all patients. This is a great opportunity for dentists; the incentives make it possible to recoup up to 100% of the investment in new technology. There are limitations; not every dentist will qualify for incentive payments. In fact, the number of dentists that are truly eligible is far less than one might think.
The truth is that moving to certified E.H.R. technology is not mandated by the federal government. Every provider has the choice to implement and use E.H.R. in their practices. The law very clearly states that moving to certified E.H.R. is encouraged. However, certain providers are in effect being forced to implement and use it by 2015.
All health care providers are eligible to apply for the certified E.H.R. incentive payments. In order to qualify for the payments, you must be an eligible provider, use certified E.H.R. technology, and prove meaningful use. All three criteria must be met in order to receive any incentive payments.
The first step is to determine if you are an eligible provider. This is extremely important if you are choosing to purchase and implement the technology in anticipation of an incentive payment. Sadly, many dentists don't qualify as an eligible provider and will not receive any incentive payments.
An eligible provider is one that is seeing Medicaid/Medicare patients. All health care providers can apply for the incentive payments however only those that are seeing Medicaid/Medicare patients will qualify. The Center for Medicaid Services website has tools available to help determine if you might qualify for an incentive payment and how much the payment might be.
Second, you must determine if you are a provider that is in effect being forced to comply. The law states health care providers will be penalized for non-compliance. The penalty is a 99% reduction in their fee schedule for 2015 and 98% in 2016 and 2017. Providers that must comply have a patient base that is at least 30% Medicaid/Medicare patients. Again, the law does not mandate them but is in effect forcing them to comply in order to avoid the penalty of their fees being reduced.
Next, you must find a dental software program that achieves the criteria for certified E.H.R. technology. Sadly, most of the software available today fails to achieve all the criteria stipulated in the HIPPA Act. The one missed in most programs is the "locking" of the chart immediately once it is closed. This requirement was adopted from HIPPA and is mandatory in order to receive certification.
Then, even if the program meets all the criteria, there is only one way to become certified and that is through The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The ONC publishes all programs that have received certification on their website. Remember, providers must use certified E.H.R. technology to qualify for incentives. No dental software programs have received certification, either temporary or permanent, at this time.
Finally, you must prove meaningful use. Basically, this is demonstrating that the technology is actively in use. To apply for incentives, you must report to the government that you are using the technology. This involves filing the requested forms at each stage of the transition in order to receive the incentive payments. Visit www.cms.org for more information on when and how to file the desired forms.
Implementing certified E.H.R. technology has many well known benefits and now, if you are an eligible provider, it can be done for little or no cost. The truth is implementation of certified E.H.R. is not mandated by the federal government; it is encouraged. Every provider should learn if they are eligible to receive incentive payments before investing in the technology. This is especially true if a provider is relying on incentive payment to help offset the costs.
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