HITECH Incentives for EHR Technology

HITECH Act EHR Incentives

gMed HITECH Guarantee

Does gMed offer a guarantee that the application is compliant with HITECH?

Yes. gMed’s gGastro+, gCardio, and gUro are all officially ONC-ATCB certified to comply with all requirements for HITECH and ARRA 2011-12 incentives. gMed guarantees compliance with Meaningful Use stage 2 and 3. To view our certification details, please click this link: http://www.cchit.org/products/2011-2012/arrafinalruleeligibleprovider/2909

What is gMed's CMS EHR Certification ID?

Each version of gGastro+ has a different certification number assigned. In order to obtain the certification ID for your version, please go to http://onc-chpl.force.com/ehrcert and search for gGastro+ as product name.

What is the HITECH Act?

The HITECH Act is the Health Information Technology (HIT) section, under the recently approved American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Under HITECH, the government has allocated $19.2 billion in incentives to adopt EHR technology.

Who is eligible to receive incentives?

Medicare Eligible professionals (EP) are defined as a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine, doctor of podiatry, doctor of optometry or a chiropractor who is not hospital-based and demonstrates meaningful use of an EHR. Medicaid providers are also eligible.

What is the definition of "meaningful" use of EHR technology?

Meaningful users are those that meet each of the following criteria:

• Uses a certified EHR technology in a meaningful manner
• Electronic exchange of health information
• Reports clinical quality measures

How does a provider demonstrate "meaningful" use of EHR?

A professional must satisfy the demonstration requirement through means specified by the Secretary which may include the following:

• Self attestation
• Electronic Reporting

Which EHRs are eligible for funding or reimbursement?

A certified EHR technology is one that meets specific standards and requirements outlined by the National Institute of Standards and approved by the department of Health and Human Services. Meaningful Use Certification sets the bar for EHR products and has the potential to reduce buying risk for purchasers.

What are the incentives and when will you receive them?

Your practice may be eligible for the following incentives per physician:

How will eligible professions and eligible hospitals apply for incentives under the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Program?

Information on registration for EHR incentive programs can be found by clicking the following link: http://www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/ Registration for the Medicare EHR Program will begin in January 2011 and will be available online.

Will penalties be enforced?

Yes. Penalties for failing to "meaningfully use" HIT will begin in 2015. Penalties for non-adoption after 2015; Increasing 1% every year up to 5% of professional fees.

How will you receive payment?

You can expect to receive payment via EFT (electronic funds transfer) to the bank account where Medicare payments are received in approximately 8-10 weeks.

Do I qualify for HITECH incentives if I upgrade to gGastro+?

No, but you must convert to gGastro+, gUro or gCardio Version 4.0 due to CCHIT certification requirements. gMed is working diligently to offer a painless conversion experience.

Can I receive donations towards the purchase of my EHR and qualify for HITECH incentives?

The new law does not make references to changes in the current donation programs.

Can I qualify for HITECH incentives if I implement a solution in the ASC only?

Yes, the incentives apply to patient encounters per Eligible Provider. Eligible professionals must use certified technology at a place or places of services where they perform 50% or more of their patient encounters.

Do I need to use a certified EHR in the ASC?

According to CMS, ASC encounters must be accounted for Meaningful Use and documented with ONC-ATCB certified Electronic Health Records. During the first phase of Meaningful Use, Eligible Professionals must document at least 50% of their patient encounters using certified technology and this percentage will increase in subsequent phases. Gastroenterologists who document a large volume of encounters at the ASC are at risk for not meeting Meaningful Use without a certified EHR in the ASC.

Can I use different systems in the office and the ASC, as long as they are both certified?

Yes. While it may be more difficult to maintain the patient information between the office and the ASC if you are using different systems, it is possible, as long as both systems are certified. CMS has allowed for reporting of the "sum" of the denominators and numerators from the different systems rather than a "unique" patient count.

Are the incentives different for physicians practicing in rural areas?

Yes. In the case of an eligible professional who predominately practices in underserved areas (i.e. a health professional shortage area), the incentives will increase by 10%.

Does gMed offer any help in meeting Meaningful Use?

gMed is currently offering a consulting and auditing service called gAdvisor. For a percentage of the HITECH incentive, gMed will provide hands on assistance, step by step, to make sure your practice collects incentives. gMed guarantees that if you don’t collect, gMed will not collect. For more information, please click here.

How can gMed help you?

gMed offers a certified EHR solution that can help you take advantage of the incentives. gGastro+, gCardio and gUro, our specialty specific applications, are very Easy to Use and have proven to be reliable solutions that streamline medical practices. For more information on the actual bill, please click here.

Now is the best time to automate your practice so start your search now!

For more information please contact us at (888) 577-8801 or salesteam@gmed.com