Latest Updates & Information on eRx Rules & Programs
The buzzer has sounded.
All “eligible professionals” who did not prove themselves to be “successful electronic prescribers” during January 1st through June 30th of this year are now subject to Medicare payment adjustments (translation: a one percent deduction on Medicare Part B reimbursement) come 2012, according to Section 132 of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA).
What’s done is done, and whether you’re left to nurse your wounds or breathe a sigh of relief, there’s always more eRx activity just around the corner. Here’s the latest, for your knowledge.
Comment by July 25th or Forever Hold Your Peace…
As of June 1st of this year, the 2011 eRx Proposed Rule is published in the Federal Register, providing updates to the existing eRx program. Specifics of the updates include modifications to quality measures, provisions for hardship exemption for the aforementioned 2012 payment adjustments, as well as extensions of deadlines for request of hardship exemptions. You may review details at http://ofr.gov/inspection.aspx and select file code CMS-3248-P.
You have until July 25th to submit comments to the rule.
Overview of Incentives—and Penalties—for eRx Going Forward
There’s still benefit to get going with eRx in 2011. If you did prove to be a “successful electronic prescriber” during the first six months of this year, you will avoid the penalty for 2012. However, providers must submit an additional 25 Medicare claims by December 31, 2011 to be eligible for the one percent incentive payment this year and to avoid penalty in 2013. As stated above, noncompliant “eligible professionals” will take a one percent deduction from the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule in 2012, 1.5% deduction in 2013 and two percent in 2014.
For the CMS’ specifics regarding “eligible professionals,” visit the website at http://iren.es/mDF4jA. An overview of the entire program may be accessed via http://www.cms.gov/ERxIncentive/.
Be sure to Crack the Code - Reporting the eRx G-Code
Successful reporting for the eRx Incentive Program requires a single G-code, a quality-data code adhering to parameters stated in the CMS document viewable at http://iren.es/lOmvNP. This reference offers guidelines for your claims-based reporting.
Important to Know: ePrescribing and Meaningful Use
Did you know providers cannot qualify for both Medicare Meaningful Use incentives and electronic prescribing MIPPA incentives?
2011 is the first year that physicians can demonstrate Meaningful Use of a certified electronic health record (EHR) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Eligible professionals who meet Meaningful Use can begin to receive up to $44,000 from Medicare or up to $64,000 from Medicaid over five years. Whether you seek eRx incentives or focus on Meaningful Use of EHRs, ePrescribing is an essential and important initiative you should adopt. Emdeon offers an EHR Lite solution with integrated eRx functionality for ease of use and seamless system integration.
To discover more about our ePrescribing and Meaningful Use solutions, contact us at 866.349.1607 or visit us online at www.emdeon.com/meaningfuluse.
Emdeon is on the forefront of knowledge acquisition on eRx issues so that we can bring you practical solutions. Contact us anytime for answers to your specific questions or concerns about ePrescribing.
What's Next for eRx-- and What You Need to Do Now
Efficient Patient Billing & Payment Technology Leads to Reduced Costs and Accelerated Patient Payments
Concord Integrative Health: An Emdeon Customer Success Story
Dr. Jeff Robichaud’s staff in the Chiropractic Medicine Department of Concord Integrative Health was increasingly burdened by the conventional process for generating and sending patient statements. With a growing volume of patients, it became more and more challenging to efficiently deal with billing, as well as the necessary follow up that many bills ultimately require. Just printing the statements would take a full day. By the time a full batch was prepared for mailing and sent, the process stretched across an entire work week, which took a costly toll on staff time and productivity.
The challenges also extended beyond the doctor’s purview. More and more patients began proactively requesting streamlined—and greener—alternatives for making payments. Not only were the paper-based payments not offering patients preferred conveniences, they were extending the amount of time between billing and receipt of payment, affecting cash flow for the practice.
As a customer of other Emdeon products, Dr. Robichaud learned of Emdeon Patient Statements as a viable option for his practice. Emdeon Patient Statements is an automated patient billing service that reduces costs and gets statements to patients faster. Providers can simply upload a file from their desktop and then Emdeon takes care of the processing, printing and mailing. He found the Emdeon Patient Statements solution was robust enough to meet all his practice’s billing needs. It also seamlessly integrated with other administrative systems currently in place. Eventually, Dr. Robichaud also incorporated the Emdeon Patient Pay Online solution to answer patient demand for web-based payments.
Dr. Robichaud reports many positive results since introducing Emdeon Patient Statements and Emdeon Patient Pay Online to his practice. With Emdeon Patient Statements, the staff no longer loses valuable time lost in the exhaustive traditional billing process.“The staff doesn’t deal with outdated stamps, printing and time consuming billing.They don’t have to leave the office to physically go and mail statements, leaving the front desk unstaffed as they used to do,” states Dr. Robichaud. “This solution took away my staff ’s least enjoyable task!”
As simplifying and effective as Emdeon Patient Statements proved for the doctor and his staff, Emdeon Patient Pay Online has proven to be equally as streamlined and convenient for patients. The online account portal empowers patients to view billing amounts and pay their accounts with ease, online, anytime.
All told, Dr. Robichaud reports a solid return on investment in the Emdeon solutions.“Billing and payment costs were rising, and our AR needed cleaning up. We addressed those issues with these effective, efficient solutions,” says Dr. Robichaud. “It’s really simplified how we do business.”
This is a true success story, as the specific results and Dr. Robichaud’s praise attests. The complete, compelling success story including details about challenges, goals and impressive outcomes can be found in the Emdeon Patient Billing & Payment Case Study.
You can experience your own Emdeon success story! Call us today at 866.349.1607 to find case study-worthy solutions for your business operations.
Introducing Emdeon's Latest Innovations:
Two New Bigger, Faster, Better Solutions to Simplify Your Business...Again!
Have you ever seen a duck gliding on a lake? The image looks so serene, as sunlight gleams on the iridescent feathers of the duck skimming smoothly, seamlessly on the glasslike water. Yet just underneath the surface, the duck’s feet paddle quickly, furiously, relentlessly—in constant, concerted effort to keep moving forward. It takes lots of work to look that effortless.
Emdeon is much like that duck; our systems are ceaselessly working, and our people are endlessly innovating bigger, faster, better ways to simplify the business of healthcare. As our partner, you enjoy the smooth reliability of the more than 100 solutions Emdeon offers. You conduct business with seamless functionality because we’re constantly below the surface—paddling nonstop to save you time, money and effort in managing the revenue and payment cycle.
But at Emdeon, ‘bigger, faster, better’ is never enough, because our goal is to give you the services and support needed to be leaders. We stay in a mode of innovation to advance our existing solutions and pinpoint new ones to enhance your ever-growing, ever-changing business. Now, we’re pleased to report that all the proverbial paddling has paid off again in the form of two major innovations.
Introducing Emdeon’s data center additions and new, best-in-class print technology.
Emdeon Data Centers
On the occasion of the opening of the second of two new data centers, we invite you to look below the surface to get a glimpse of all that goes on to not only keep the single largest financial and administrative information exchange in the U.S. healthcare system going but to take its capabilities to new heights.
Our data centers deftly, reliably and securely transmit the unbelievable number of information exchange points and transactions the business of healthcare demands at any given minute, on any given day. Yet the volume of data exchanged is not nearly as impressive—or important—as what the new centers enable us to do with the data itself.
Rather than keep data chained together through separate business rules and processes as was required in the past, the technology behind our systems allows us to create data mash-ups, combining and aggregating data making information more useful and nimble.
Here’s a quick look at the advanced capabilities our data centers can enable.
For providers:
- Get paid sooner thanks to electronic claims that are auto-corrected and/or enriched with eligibility data to increase auto-adjudication rates.
- Receive remittance advice or estimate of payment within seconds of filing an electronic claim.
- Easily obtain comprehensive, accurate patient medical and prescription history within a collaborative care community.
- Monitor patients’ adherence to disease management protocols over defined periods of time within your collaborative care community.
For payers:
- Decrease call center and other operational costs thanks to minimization of errors or omissions on claims filed by providers.
- Detect insurance fraud prior to claims payment.
- Offer preventative patient care messages to providers based on patient medical and pharmacy histories.
- Eliminate pounds of paper currently received by mail or fax.
By bringing the new data centers online, we have streamlined many of our business processes, reducing the human factor and minimizing the potential for errors. By automating these processes, we can more accurately measure performance and anticipate issues before they become a problem. As a result, since the new centers have been online, calls into our call center have steadily dropped, while customer satisfaction has increased.
Our new, massive data centers live up to their billing as ‘state-of-the-art’ in every sense of the phrase. With hundreds of miles between them, these facilities are redundant yet independent to ensure all data is secure, safe and accessible without interruption. They exchange data at lightning-speed to eliminate downtime issues and further our capabilities as the single largest financial and administrative information exchange in the U.S. healthcare system.•55,000 sq. ft. containing 2,000 servers
•2 petabytes of storage (That’s 2,000 terabytes!)
•20+ Load Balancers (10+ Redundant Clusters)
•900 Microsoft Windows Servers
•350 IBM AIX Unix Servers
•500+ VMWare Virtual Guests
•450 databases
•100% future growth potential
Unparalleled Printing Advancements
We have introduced the Pitney Bowes® IntelliJet™ 30 Printing System to herald the next generation in on-demand printing technology and patient communications production. As one of only three such systems in the world, Pitney Bowes IntelliJet™ takes the idea of “fast and high quality printing” to stratospheric levels. With amazing 1200x600 dpi output of 1,380 pages per minute, there is virtually no limit to what you can create, design and produce for your patient communications.• Advanced print quality for razor sharp, vibrant patient statements
• Full-color statements in an extremely high resolution—1200 x 600 dpi
• Capable of four-color printing on both sides of the statement
• 1,380 pages per minute (400 feet of paper per minute)
With this new printing capability, Emdeon ExpressBill now has extreme capacity to handle patient statement production responsively in whatever quantities you need. We’re able to quickly update your statement design and content and print on demand—as needed, eliminating costs and waste associated with traditional, pre-printing methods.
Most impressively, this new printing system ensures statements enter the mail stream significantly sooner through logical presorting that combines postal codes prior to printing. This advanced capability eliminates the delays associated with the traditional USPS sorting process. Now we print your batches of statements in full color, in the presorted manner, allowing statements to hit the mail immediately upon print completion. Statements that get mailed sooner often lead to faster payment.
At Emdeon, we know we’re doing our job if you only see “the duck gliding on the water” with not so much as a worry about what must happen to keep things moving smoothly. Hopefully, this brief view beneath the surface deepens your appreciation for the innovations we’ve created. Now you can go about your business even more simply, while we keep ‘paddling’ to our next round of innovative solutions.
To learn more about Emdeon’s innovations and to view a video tour, please visit www.emdeon.com/innovation.
HIPAA Simplified Update
We are pleased to announce that Emdeon has received notification that we have met the requirements of the EHNAC 5010 Readiness Assessment Program. Emdeon received a score of 100%, which further evidences Emdeon’s commitment to ensure compliance with HIPAA 5010.
In addition to this industry recognition, Emdeon continues to guide our customers successfully through the migration to the X12 5010 and NCPDP D.0 versions of the HIPAA transaction standards. We have updated our gap analysis documents to include the recent 5010 Errata changes and we have enhanced our 5010 systems and products to support the Errata version of HIPAA transactions. The Errata versions of the gap analysis documents are available at the HIPAA simplified website under downloads.
We strive to provide you with the most updated and accurate information regarding our readiness for HIPAA 5010. Please see answers below to the most commonly asked questions regarding HIPAA 5010.
What is Emdeon’s current state and plans for HIPAA 5010 testing?
Emdeon is currently testing and implementing 5010 with submitters and payers. The late release of the Errata changes to the 5010 transaction standards further constricted the already narrow 5010 testing and conversion window. Nevertheless, as you can see in the list below, Emdeon has initiated submitter and payer testing on all 5010 transactions.
Errata Beta testing in process:
• 837 Professional claims
• 837 Institutional claims
• 837 Dental claims
• 835 ERAs
• 270/271 Eligibility verification
Emdeon is also testing the Final Rule version with submitters and payers for the HIPAA X12 transactions that were not included in the Errata revisions:
• 276/277 Claim Status
• 278 Referral/Authorization
What Emdeon solutions are impacted by 5010?
5010 impacts eligibility, claim, claim status and remittance transactions. The associated Emdeon solutions impacted by 5010 include our clearinghouse, as well as:
Emdeon Office:
Effective January 1, 2012, HIPAA requires that you update the manner in which you submit claims, eligibility and other health care transactions to use the new HIPAA 5010 standard format. For status inquiries such as eligibility, Emdeon Office has completed the baseline development needed to be able to convert information entered on our request pages to the new format, and to render responses received in the new format in the familiar display to which you are accustom. We continue to work with each insurance company to update our request screens according to the payers’ needs, as each insurance company becomes ready to handle the new formats.
Similarly, in the case of claim submission, Emdeon Office is already prepared to accommodate the 5010 format for many of our claims customers and very close to completing the necessary enhancements for the remainder. While Emdeon encourages all providers to be ready to submit claims using the new standards in advance of the deadline, we want you to be aware that Emdeon Office can make your claims comply with 5010 standards without requiring you to upgrade your practice management system. As part of our enhancement to convert your claims to the new HIPAA 5010 format, a number of significant new features will become available to you within the Emdeon Office Suite for no additional charge. These enhancements eliminate the need to budget significant amounts of money towards an upgrade specifically or exclusively due to the HIPAA 5010 claim format regulations.
Please be sure to check the Flash Message section of the Office home page for new messages providing detailed guidance on the transition and any actions that may be required of you.
To learn more about the HIPAA 5010 readiness plan for Emdeon Office customers, please email your questions to emdeonoffice5010@emdeon.com.
What is the timeline of events?
Emdeon is committed to fully support 5010 standards prior to the compliance date of January 1st, 2012; however the precise dates on which Emdeon will support 5010 standards will vary based on the product, transaction, payer readiness and client readiness. Our goal is to have all Emdeon products modified with testing completed by the end of 2011 in order to be ready for the January 1st, 2012 compliance date.
Where can I obtain additional information about HIPAA 5010?
Emdeon created a valuable web resource available to all industry stakeholders titled HIPAA Simplified, which may be found at www.hipaasimplified.com. HIPAA Simplified is a one-stop online resource that features gap analyses, business level documentation, webinars, timelines for the transition and testing information for our customers.
Thanks for trusting Emdeon as your source for HIPAA readiness. We are working diligently to deliver solutions that enable our customers to seamlessly meet these industry regulatory requirements.
How to Spot a Unicorn -or- The Accountable Care Organization Identified and Explained
What You Need to Know about ACOs
In a January 2011 news report, National Public Radio journalist Jenny Gold likened accountable care organizations (ACOs) to “the elusive unicorn: everyone seems to know what it looks like, but no one has actually seen one.”
The ACO has been a relatively hot topic since it was introduced as a provision in the new health law last year. The acronym fast achieved industry buzz phrase status as many in our industry began to eagerly hunt the proverbial unicorn without benefit of details or a roadmap. Most are aware ACOs fit in context with a better model for delivering care to Medicare beneficiaries; otherwise specifics are sketchy.
Here is the key information you need to know about ACOs—the corralling of the unicorn so you can have a better view.
Accountable care organization
əˈkountəbəl | ke(ə)r | ˌôrgəniˈzā sh ən
noun1 a type of payment and delivery reform model that seeks to tie provider reimbursements to quality metrics and reductions in the total cost of care for an assigned population of patients* *—as defined on Wikipedia
2 a recognized legal entity under State law and comprised of a group of ACO participants (providers of services and suppliers) that have established a mechanism for shared governance and work together to coordinate care for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries*
*—as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
An ACO is an organized network of healthcare providers (hospitals, physicians, specialists) and is accountable to patients and payers, specifically Medicare. Provider participants collectively share responsibility for the healthcare of a group of patients for a set period of time. Specifically under the new law, an ACO must commit to care for at least 5,000 Medicare patients for a minimum of three years. The goal of an ACO is to improve the quality of care for patients while achieving cost savings, beyond the ACO’s historic national benchmark.
The intended benefit for patients is coordinated, well-rounded and more thoughtful care. Rather than receiving disjointed snapshots of care through referrals and provider visits, patients in the fold of an ACO would be part of a broader network. It’s kind of a “why buy the ingredients when you buy the cake already baked?” approach to healthcare.
The intended benefit for providers is the ability to give more efficient, results-oriented care while achieving cost savings that may then be shared amongst provider participants. Though still earning fees for service, ACO participants have the incentive of sharing in the savings, without full-blown capitation.
The intended benefit for everyone is aligned with the goals of ACOs in general: measurably better care and lower costs. Medicare is beleaguered, lumbering and struggling as an entity; those in positions of national leadership in health reform are banking on ACOs to achieve cost reductions and enhance care now while making the system viable for the longer term.
Under the provision of ACOs, providers will continue to receive fees-for-service, and patients will be free to select physicians outside the ACO network. The latter point is a key differentiator of ACOs from HMOs or health management organizations. This structural nuance is intended to avert possible control of patient referral patterns that some see as the bane of the HMO model (e.g. adverse selection). Additionally, antitrust reviews are to be expedited and coordinated by both the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Justice Department to ensure that no ACO is able to wield market power that drives prices up while keeping competition down, at least in theory.
The highly anticipated proposed rules were released on March 31, 2011 with a 60 day comment period. CMS received more than 1,200 comments, many of whom found ACOs bearing too many requirements with too few rewards. At the first ACO Learning Development Session on July 21, CMS Administrator Donald Berwick acknowledged the proposed rules caused debate and discourse and believes the final rule will take into account the thoughts and opinions of those who commented. Nonetheless, ACOs are part of the health reform structure and are poised to play a major role in our healthcare system moving forward.
Some of the comments from nationally recognized healthcare opinion leaders include:
• The American Academy of Family Physicians—“…The AAFP is concerned that the Medicare ACO program as currently proposed will fail to offer the potential benefits of better care for individuals, better health for populations, lower per capita costs for Medicare beneficiaries and improved coordination among physicians…"
• The Mayo Clinic—“…it (the rule) creates a sense of mistrust toward providers in a manner that suggests that CMS would not be a trustworthy and effective partner in the innovation that is necessary for us to really make progress in reform…"
• The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)—“…Providers may be reluctant to commit time and money to reorganize the delivery system to better coordinate care and improve quality, if rewards are uncertain and difficult to calculate…"
Unicorn Sightings: ACO Dates and Milestones
Implementation deadline for ACOs is January 1, 2012.
In March 31st of this year, the federal government published proposed rules to guide the operation of ACOs. These rules establish comprehensive structural and quality requirements. HHS also released information for patients and providers to lay groundwork for ACO implementation. Upon release of proposed rules, many called for immediate review and modification.
On May 17th of this year, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled three ACO initiatives to guide ACO structure and approach: the Pioneer ACO Model, Accelerated Development Learning Sessions and the Advanced Payment ACO Model.
Recent and upcoming ACO deadlines include:
June 6, 2011- NPRM comments closed
June 17, 2011- Cut-off for comments about advanced payment initiative to The Innovation Center
June 20 - 22, 2011- Training for Accelerated Development Learning
Session 1 in Minneapolis, also viewable by webcast
Session 2 September (TBA); San Francisco Bay, CA area
Session 3 October (TBD); Philadelphia, PA area (tentative)
Session 4 November (TBD); Atlanta, GA area (tentative)
June 30, 2011 - Due date for Letter of Intent for organizations interested in participating in the CMS’ Pioneer ACO model
August 19, 2011 - Application deadline for the Pioneer ACO Model
January 1, 2012 - Deadline for ACO implementation
Get Social with Emdeon
Discover new ways to simplify your business when you connect with Emdeon online. Follow Emdeon on Facebook and Twitter to learn about innovative new solutions and special offers or to provide feedback on Emdeon products and services you use. Emdeon regularly posts updates and offers valuable resources to keep you on top of industry trends and current information, including healthcare reform, emerging technology, best practices and more. Use your computer or mobile device to receive Emdeon updates on free webinars, new product launches, important news articles and upcoming tradeshows. You can also visit our YouTube channel to watch inspiring customer testimonials and insightful product videos, or join Emdeon on LinkedIn to connect with colleagues. Click the icons below and get social with Emdeon today!
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New Payer Transactions Added Recently
• AETNA; Claims
• AIG; Claims
• America First; Claims
• Bay Area Delivery Drivers; Claims
• Central SeniorCare; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Combined Benefits Administrators; Claims
• Dreyer Health; Claims
• Federated; Claims
• Fresenius Medical Care; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Generations Healthcare; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Golden Triangle Physician Alliance/SelectCare of Texas(GTPA); Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Hartford; Claims
• HEALTHe Exchange; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• HealthSCOPE Benefits Inc; Claims
• IlliniCare Health Plan; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Katy Medical Group; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Liberty Mutual; Claims
• MED PAY; Claims
• Memorial Clinical Associates/SelectCare of Texas (MCA); Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• MORRIS ASSOCIATES; Claims
• Nebraska Medicaid; Claims
• Northwest Diagnostic Clinic/SelectCare of Texas (NWDC); Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Omnicare Medical Group (OMNI); Claims
• Pinnacle Physician Management Org; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Secura; Claims
• Select Senior Clinic; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• SelectCare of Texas (Kelsey-Seybold); Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Summit America Insurance Services Inc.; Claims
• Texan Plus (North Texas Area); Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Texan Plus (Southeast Texas Area); Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Texas First Health Plan (TOPA); Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Today's Health; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Today's Options; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Travelers; Claims
• Tribute/SelectCare of Oklahoma; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Village Family Practice; Eligibility Inquiry and Response
For a complete list of the payers in our network, visit our website at www.emdeon.com/payerlists/
ePrescribing Essential for Physicians in 2011
This year, ePrescribing will present physicians with both opportunity and risk. ePrescribing activity during 2011 will be the basis for 2012 and 2013 ePrescribing Medicare penalties under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA). According to CMS, providers who do not begin ePrescribing and document their activity in their claims submissions using the appropriate G-codes prior to June 30, 2011 may be subject to a -1% payment adjustment on all of their Medicare Part B reimbursements for 2012. CMS is also offering electronic prescribing incentives but it is important to realize that if you don’t meet the June 30th deadline, the 1% penalty may also apply.
For more information on ePrescribing penalties, view the documents below:
Timing and payment impact information
G-code procedures for claim coding
In addition, 2011 is the first year that physicians can demonstrate Meaningful Use of a certified electronic health record (EHR) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). It is also the first year in which eligible professionals who meet Meaningful Use can begin to receive up to $44,000 from Medicare or up to $64,000 from Medicaid over five years. Providers cannot qualify for both Medicare Meaningful Use incentives and electronic prescribing MIPPA incentives.
Emdeon offers an EHR Lite solution that includes ePrescribing functionality as well as electronic lab orders and reports management. Emdeon Clinician, part of the Emdeon Office Suite, is also a certified EHR Lite that meets Stage 1 Meaningful Use criteria and can help eligible providers qualify for government incentives.* Fast, accurate and highly secure, Emdeon Clinician blends seamlessly with the way you already work and improves productivity so you can focus on what’s most important - your patients!
Emdeon Clinician costs only $99 per provider per month so call us today to learn how we can help you get your government incentives for an affordable price. Call by April 29th, mention promotion code Meaningful Use, and we’ll waive training and setup fees AND give you two months free!
866.349.1607
PhysicianInfo@emdeon.com
To read more about the importance of ePrescribing visit the EMR and HIPAA website. Other MIPPA and Meaningful Use information can be found on the CMS website or you can visit www.emdeon.com/eprescribing or www.emdeon.com/meaningfuluse.
*This Complete EHR is 2011/2012 compliant and has been certified by an ONC-ATCB in accordance with the applicable certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This certification does not represent an endorsement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or guarantee the receipt of incentive payments. Emdeon Inc, 10/22/10, Emdeon Clinician 7.4, 1014201030691,NQF0064/PQRI128, NQF0041/PQRI110, NQF0024, NQF0028, NQF0038, NQF0059/PQRI1,NQF0064/PQRI2, NQF0061/PQRI3.
Emdeon Clinician is not currently certified for Stages 2 and 3 and we do not promise that users will qualify for any particular amount of enhanced payments.
Free, Live Webinar: Meaningful Use and What it Means for Your Practice
Discover how you could qualify for $44k or more in government incentives – efficiently and affordably
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
2pm Central
Register Now
This session provides a framework for understanding what Meaningful Use means, who is eligible, what is required and how you get your money. Starting this year, eligible professionals who meet government criteria for Meaningful Use can begin receiving up to $44,000 from Medicare or up to $64,000 from Medicaid. The HITECH Act was passed to encourage the adoption of electronic health records by offering incentive payments to eligible providers who use a certified EHR technology.
You will have the opportunity to:
• Better understand what Meaningful Use is and what it means for your practice
• View a short demo of Emdeon’s efficient and affordable Meaningful Use solution
• See what a cow in a car has to do with you getting cash
About the presenter…
As Senior Vice President of Clinical Services and Government Affairs for Emdeon, Miriam Paramore is responsible for overseeing the clinical sector of the business, long-term strategic planning, thought leadership, public policy and government affairs. Paramore brings over 25 years of industry experience and plays a critical role in helping Emdeon shape a course for the future based on emerging trends in health information technology. She is a national speaker and currently serves on the national Board of Directors for the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS). She is a previous chair of the HIMSS Financial Systems Steering Committee, and has previously served on the Board for CareSource Management Group, a non-profit Medicaid managed care organization. She serves on the eHealth Advisory Committee for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As a longtime advocate for HIT in the public sector, Paramore serves as an advisor to key Congressional committees and the Congressional Budget Office on health IT, healthcare administrative simplification, and other practical solutions that can take costs out of the system and make healthcare more efficient.
The Point of References
Refer Emdeon & Earn Rewards for You and Your Colleagues
We at Emdeon believe every reference should have a point. Fifty of them, to be exact.
We’ll reward you with a $50 American Express Gift Check for every signed referral you provide to us. Simply share the names and contact information of colleagues and co-workers you know would benefit from our services.
When your referrals sign on, you’ll cash in…and they will, too. All newly signed referrals will receive $25 gift checks and a month of service at no charge.
Of course, your main point in sharing the good word about Emdeon’s services is to help colleagues tap into the most effective solutions in the marketplace. Your professional reference holds immense value—and undeniable power—because colleagues trust each other’s opinions when making decisions about products and services.
Emdeon benefits every time you make a point to mention us to colleagues. The $50 and $25 gift checks, as well as the month’s free service, are our way of saying “thank you” for the references and “welcome” to new signees.
Even in our click-of-mouse society, nothing beats a word-of-mouth referral. Our goal is to consistently earn your endorsement by providing the seamless solutions you need to simplify the business of healthcare. We hope the quality of our services speaks for itself—so much so that you’re inspired to speak up on our behalf.
Ready to make a reference with a point? Just point and click here to send us an email, and let the referrals begin! In your email, please list “Referral” as the subject line, include the practice you are referring, the contact person and their phone number as well as your contact information.
866.369.8805
PhysicianInfo@emdeon.com
Increasing Your 'App'titude
Trends & tips for going mobile in healthcare
We’re rapidly becoming a nation powered by mobile devices. Nearly 80% of Americans have mobile phones1, and more than a quarter of those users have opted for smartphone devices over traditional cell phones.2 Predictions are that more than half of all mobile phone users will go “smart” over “cell” by November of this year. 3
Healthcare providers are adopting mobile technology even faster. Almost three-quarters of physicians already use smartphones, and that number is poised to exceed 80% by 2012.4
8 out of 10 physicians will have smart phones by 2012.
Smartphones—essentially cell phones with computer-like operating systems—enable users to be online nearly all the time. That means that the importance of the voice function is minimized as data and content features take center stage. For physicians, the unlimited access to Internet is a strong driver for their interest in mobile market. Within 3 years, U.S. physicians will likely make no distinction between accessing the Web via smartphone or personal computer, according to findings by Manhattan Research, LLC.4
What does this mean for the healthcare industry, and what do we do with this knowledge?
The short answer to those questions is “go mobile.”
For any business centered on customer service, it’s impossible to ignore the power of mobile technology. For healthcare—motivated by patient-centric service and communications, this is particularly true. Here are some practical ways that you and your organization can “Go Mobile.”
• Use mobile devices:
If you’ve not yet done so, incorporate the use of smartphones and/or tablet devices into your daily life. The best way to understand how to make the most of the computing capabilities of these ultra-portable devices is to make use of them on a regular basis. Consider unifying the kind of products used throughout your organization to ensure seamless communications and simplify updates and maintenance of operating systems and equipment. If you are conflicted about choosing between iPhone®, Android™ or BlackBerry®, bear in mind the market penetration of each option. iPhone is highly established with loyal followings. Android devices have quickly gained market share, exceeding Blackberry and iPhone usage as of January of this year.5
• Create a mobile-friendly web presence:
Because more and more people are accessing the Internet through mobile devices, it’s essential that websites be formatted for the most optimal viewing on these smaller screens. If you are updating or creating a primary website, be sure to incorporate viewing standards that are conducive to mobile viewing. Through “mobile detect,” websites can discern if they’re being accessed via mobile or standard browsers and display the proper versions accordingly. Mobile friendly sites are built with awareness of the constraints of mobile viewing, in order to better accommodate those unique needs.
• Increase your “app-titude”:
Mobile applications provide direct, quick-access to select information and functionality. It seems no matter what we want to know or what we need to do, there truly is “an app for that.” The most effective and widely used applications are very audience-focused—developed to answer the interests and needs of those who will access the app. In healthcare, apps can offer a multitude of interactions and information options, especially as the industry enters the era of the Electronic Health Record. As health information goes digital, it’s a natural evolution to incorporate mobile apps as tools to connect patients and providers alike to key data. Healthcare-related apps keep lines of communication and information open 24/7, 365 days a year and are increasingly popular. At present, of the approximately 6,000 mobile apps available for download in the iTunes® App Store, 73% are targeted to consumers, with 27% designated for healthcare professionals for example iPrescribe, iCD9 and iPharmacy.6
• “Go with” mobile technology:
An interesting and often liberating aspect of our increasingly mobile society is the ability to be closely in touch without being geographically near. From texting and “Facetime” on the iPhone to Skype™ and distance video conferencing, we no longer have to be in the same place to stay on the same page. Mobile devices bring us together even when we’re apart, and this fluidity of communications has taken hold at the root systems of our work and personal lives. For younger demographics, these communication options are fundamental to life experience, while for others, they are still perceived as new innovations. Nonetheless, our modes of sharing information are forever altered across the board thanks to mobile technology.
With awareness of the shift to mobile communications, Emdeon has responded to the challenge with practical solutions. Here are a few examples:
When accessing www.emdeon.com on a mobile smart phone, you’ll find the site automatically loads for optimized mobile viewing. The interface of the website is formatted specifically for smartphone screens, with simplified navigation and easily viewable content.
Emdeon VisionSM Mobile is a mobile application that functions as an extension of the Emdeon Vision web-based application designed to give healthcare providers quick access to the claim management side of their practices. Through this app, providers can securely, conveniently view 15 months of claim data, including the status of current claims.
We’ve integrated these mobile solutions as part of our corporate commitment to customer connectivity. The motivation to “go mobile” stems from the priority placed on meeting customers where they are...be that in the field, online or on the go—with smartphones in hand.
1- http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007927
2- http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371907,00.asp
3- http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/smartphones-to-overtake-feature-phones-in-u-s-by-2011/
4- http://mobihealthnews.com/7505/72-percent-of-us-physicians-use-smartphones/
5- http://mashable.com/2011/03/08/android-smartphone-platform-report/
6- http://www.closerlook.com/thinking/physician-patient-mobile-marketing/
Accelerate patient payments, reduce billing costs
Are you tired of the processes and paperwork associated with billing and collecting patient payments? Emdeon Office Suite now offers billing and payment solutions that can help you accelerate patient collections, improve cash flow and reduce billing costs, all with less effort and paperwork!
Convenient patient payment solution
Emdeon Patient Pay Online is a patient-facing application that offers secure, convenient online billing and payment management. Patients can view billing amounts and make payments online, anytime. With easy, click-to-pay functionality and transparent account information available 24/7, patients are empowered with real-time data and spared the hassles of paper billing.
Your patient’s convenience equates to smoother compensation for you. As patients adopt Patient Pay Online, you’ll enjoy the pay-offs: improved cash flow, more timely compensation, reduced costs related to printed billing materials and less strain on your customer service and accounts receivable staff. Additionally, you’ll have access to deep reporting and analytics tools to effectively track payment information up to the minute, at any time.
Customized patient statements
Our patient payment solution couples with our Patient Statements solution that allows you to send personalized invoices with the click of a button. The Patient Pay Online URL is clearly displayed at the top and bottom of statements so patients know exactly where to go to pay their bill. Processing your statements through Emdeon Office Suite speeds up the time it takes to get bills from you to your patients because you don’t have to print, fold, stuff and mail them yourself.
This immensely practical solution alleviates the logistics of invoice processing and mailing for providers. Customizable statements are generated and diverted to Emdeon’s high volume mail site for processing and sending, while our Address Cleansing Services scrub lists for accuracy. Patients receive prompt, easy-to-read and reliably accurate statements, and that leads to quicker, more complete provider compensation and better cash flow. Additionally, providers face fewer customer service calls and save time and money by transferring mailing operations to Emdeon.
Get Emdeon Patient Pay Online FREE for 90 Days
If you’re already an Emdeon Office client, you can easily incorporate Patient Statements and Patient Pay Online into your daily practice.
Contact us today or visit us online to discover how we can help improve your workflows and accelerate your patient payments. Call by April 29th and mention promotion code Patient Pay Online to receive Emdeon Patient Pay Online 90 days free!
866.349.1607
PhysicianInfo@emdeon.com
Upcoming Webinar: Strategies for Avoiding the Claims Black Hole to Accelerate and Maximize Claims Payments
Attend an HFMA Webinar to Learn More
Providers need access to a clear, accurate and timely snapshot of each and every claim from start to finish. Without a tracking mechanism and process in place, providers are at risk for late or missing claims payments as a result of the claims black hole – submitted from the provider but not completely processed by the payer.
Given today’s diverse healthcare landscape, with a vast network of payers and complex claim submission requirements, tracking claims throughout the entire revenue cycle can be daunting yet critical for the success of healthcare providers.
In this session, Kelly Baker, CBO Senior Director at Novant Medical Group, will explore strategies for capturing a clear and direct view of claims to prevent unnecessary follow-up with payers and claims rework to protect cash flow. Using these same strategies, providers can reduce their risk of missing claims and streamline workflows for faster, more efficient adjudication.
After This Webinar You Will:
• Understand how to enhance your claims management workflow and allocate resources to maximize revenue
• Learn how to prevent lost or missing claims
• Understand the most common reasons why claims fall through the cracks
Register now to attend an HFMA Webinar April 13th 3:00 to 4:30 pm EST to hear more about this topic!
New Payer Transactions Added Recently
New payers added recently:
• Alliance PPO Inc.(Maryland); Claims
• Arizona Medicaid; ERA
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama; Eligibility
• Fallon Community Health Plan; Eligibility
• Fallon Health Plan; Eligibility
• Group Health Plan- CMR; Referrals, Eligibility, Claims, Claim Status
• Health America Inc./Health Assurance/Advantra; Referrals, Eligibility, Claims, Claim Status
• Health Plan Management Services (HPMS); Claims
• Health Services for Children with Special Needs; Claim Status
• Healthcare USA; Referrals, Eligibility, Claims, Claim Status
• HealthPartners MN; ERA
• HealthTrans; Claims
• Healthy Texas; Claims
• Innovante Benefit Administrators; Claims
• J12 MEDICARE PART A LEGACY WPS (DC DE MD NJ PA); Claims, ERA
• Kentucky Health Administrators Inc.; Claims
• MacNeal Health Providers- CHS; ERA
• Memorial PSN/CMS; Claims
• Omnicare- A Coventry Health Plan; Referrals, Eligibility, Claims, Claim Status
• PersonalCare/Coventry Health of Illinois; Referrals, Eligibility, Claims, Claim Status
• Providence of Oregon Health Plan; Claims
• Sante Health System and Affiliates; ERA
• SCION Dental; Claims
• Southern Health Services Inc.; Referrals, Eligibility, Claims, Claim Status
• Sterling Life Insurance; EFT
• VNS CHOICE Medicare; ERA
• Wellpath; Referrals, Eligibility, Claims, Claim Status
For a complete list of the payers in our network, visit our website at www.emdeon.com/payerlists/
