Beginning July 1, providers must have a face-to-face encounter with the beneficiary at least 6 months prior to orders for certain items of durable medical equipment (DME) for Medicare patients. This requirement is included in the Affordable Care Act and finalized as part of the 2013 Medicare physician fee schedule.

CMS released an MLN Matters article to provide detailed information about this requirement and a transmittal, which adds this change and instructions to the Medicare Program Integrity Manual.

For more information please visit the CMS website: http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/PhysicianFeeSched/index.html?redirect=/physicianfeesched/

MASA is pleased to announce its Preferred Partnership with MediSYS, an Alabama-based provider of medical practice management software. MediSYS has been serving and partnering with healthcare providers throughout the state of Alabama for more than 28 years. In 2005, MediSYS expanded its applications to include electronic prescribing and electronic health records (EHR).

MediSYS recognizes the importance of three key elements for today’s providers as they partner with a vendor for technology services: (1) dependable support and service (2) usable, certified products and (3) affordable, cost effective solutions. With MediSYS, you get all three of these elements along with much more.

With MediSYS, clinics can be assured that they are not only purchasing flexible and affordable solutions, but above all they are partnering with the leader in Alabama for interoperability and support.  The MediSYS staff combined has hundreds of years of experience in healthcare.  They strive to keep clients educated and informed of industry and technology updates.

Offering dependable, local service with the ability to quickly meet and exceed industry changes has been a driving factor for MediSYS’ ongoing presence in the Alabama healthcare market.   Drummond Certified MediSYS EHR leads the state with its ever growing interoperability partnerships. That expansion further solidifies the company’s commitment, not only to their clients, but also to the ever-evolving tools needed for quality healthcare.  With external lab interoperability, lab results are routed to the physician’s inbox for review and action. Providers have expressed the value of the interoperability partnerships offered through MediSYS EHR and what they really mean to their practices – more time with patients, real-time information, and cost savings for the healthcare community as a whole.  MediSYS provides electronic connectivity for providers to many local hospitals, national and local external lab reference companies, Lab Information Systems, Alabama Department of Public Health (Immunizations), SureScripts and more.  MediSYS also offers proven success assisting hospitals with solutions for post-acquisition physician practice billing in the ambulatory practice level of billing and workflow.

MediSYS knows what it takes to be a successful practice in today’s market and their dedication to almost 700 medical clinics and thousands of providers utilizing MediSYS is demonstrated with ongoing training classes, online resources and day-to-day superior support.  A partnership with MediSYS means success for your clinic.

To learn more about MediSYS and how its products could benefit your practice, call (334) 277-6201 or e-mail sales@medisysinc.com to schedule a complete demonstration. Mention you are a MASA member and receive a $500 discount on your total price upon purchase.

June 30th is fast approaching! Eprescribe 10 G8553 codes on any paid Medicare claims by June 30th, 2013 to avoid the 2% eRX payment adjustment that will be levied next year. Don’t wait till the end of June, get your G8553 codes in now!

June 30th is also the LAST day to apply for 2014 eRX Hardship Exemption! Again, don’t wait till the end of June! Exemptions DO NOT carry over from year to year, you will need to apply each year for a hardship exemption for the next program year.

• If you reported the G8553 code at least 25 times in 2012 (received the 2012 incentive) then you are automatically exempt from the 2014 eRX payment adjustment.
• If you were a successful Meaningful Use in 2012 (either 90 days or first year) then you are automatically exempt from the 2014 eRX payment adjustment.
• If you start Meaningful Use in 2013 and successfully finish your 90 days before June 30th, then you are automatically exempt from the 2014 eRX payment adjustment.
• If you registered (for Meaningful Use) before 1/1/13 and you have NOT completed 90 days by June 30th then you are NOT exempt from the eRX Payment Adjustment. If you registered before 1/1/13, there are 2 ways to avoid the eRX payment adjust:
  • Eprescribe 10 G8553 codes on any paid Medicare claims by June 30th, 2013
  • Begin Meaningful Use in 2013 and complete your 90 days before June 30th, 2013

There is still time to submit 25 G8553 codes on paid applicable Medicare claims before December 31st, 2013 to possibly qualify for eRX incentive and/or offset the eRX penalty. Reminder: You cannot earn an eRX Incentive in the same year in which you earn a Medicare Meaningful Use Incentive.

Rule of thumb:  It’s best to submit G8553 on all Medicare visits that involve eprescribing. Better to be safe than sorry!

Please visit the CMS website for more information.

View the “CMS eRX Program: Updates for 2013″ or “2013 eRx Incentive Program: 2014 Payment Adjustment”

MediSYS understands the need for an intuitive system that will enable today’s urgent care clinics to have a quick, yet precise check-in process as most are walk-in clinics.  With the MediSYS Kiosk, patients can review their current patient information or add their information for the first time.  This enables the front desk staff to have additional time to verify each patient’s eligibility electronically at the time of service.   Real-time eligibility with Alabama’s major carriers such as Blue Cross, Medicare, Medicaid, and participating commercial carriers is available with just a few clicks.  By checking eligibility at time of service, clinics can avoid errors by verifying with the patient any changes or problems with their insurance.  Also, eligibility will enable the provider and staff to understand the patient’s coverage for services rendered, as well as to collect the patient co-pay at the time of service.  By understanding potential billing issues before the claim is filed, urgent care clinics will have a higher collection rate while reducing costs.

Also, for offices that opt to do a more standard patient check-in, our driver’s license swipe feature will automatically input the patient demographics from their ID.  Speedy check-in allows the provider to see more patients and minimize wait time – hence the title “urgent care”.  Many times patients come in for minor emergencies and speed is a necessity.  The MediSYS system is designed specifically for speed and accuracy.

With cloud based MediSYS EHR, clinics can see patients quickly while providing the comprehensive details that are often needed by urgent care facilities.  With a fast patient triage for nurses and staff, the vitals portion of MediSYS EHR is complete and concise, providing the physician a full overview of why the patient is there.  Also, one-click exams are a very easy way to enable urgent care providers the flexibility of multiple exam scenarios with just a few easy keystrokes.  MediSYS EHR implementation and training specialists understand the importance of speed while in the exam room and work with each provider to set up the appropriate exam trees and templates.  This enables providers to focus on the patient and their problems, but still provide comprehensive documentation of the visit.

Many times, patients may also need to be referred to an outside source for follow up to their visit.  With MediSYS Practice Management and EHR, patients can be referred easily to specialists.  Documentation of the referral can be noted, as well as followed up on if the urgent care staff chooses to do so.

Many urgent care facilities utilize locum tenums and MediSYS EHR offers a variety of flexible configurations and pricing to accommodate these needs.  With a variety of training options – onsite, remote, or at our location, MediSYS trainers have the flexibility to quickly train incoming providers with personal attention to their needs and setup.  With less time wasted on difficult transitions, providers are ready in rapid time to see patients and increase revenues.

MediSYS EHR offers anytime, anywhere access to medical records.  Understanding that today’s providers need to access patient data at all times, MediSYS provides safe, secure access at a fraction of the cost of other products while utilizing state-of-the-art technology.  Accessibility is a must in today’s growing urgent care market.

With MediSYS products, clinics can be assured that they are not only purchasing flexible and affordable solutions, but above all they are partnering with the leader in Alabama for interoperability and support.  The MediSYS staff combined has hundreds of years of experience in healthcare and strive to keep clients educated and informed of industry changes and updates.  Their goal is to provide quality support and services to clients at a fraction of the cost.  Being an Alabama-based company of 28+ years, MediSYS knows what it takes to be a successful practice in today’s market.  MediSYS’ dedication to their almost 700 medical clients is demonstrated with ongoing training classes, online resources and day-to-day support.  A partnership with MediSYS means success for your urgent care clinic.

MediSYS serves over 1,000 Alabama providers providing electronic health records, practice management systems and medical billing.

To view this new interactive log go to:

• Part A Claims Issue Log
• Part B Claims Issue Log

More information from Cahaba GBA updates for April 15,2013:

Chatom Primary Care has chosen MediSYS EHR web-based platform in order to more efficiently provide services and care for its patients.  By using MediSYS EHR, CPC now has access to a greater level of interoperability between its providers and outlying patient resources.  MediSYS EHR interoperability with labs, hospitals, ePrescribe, and in-house diagnostics is continually expanding which provides CPC significant abilities that carry over to the actual patient as better patient care.  CPC providers now have quicker access to more patient information.

The physicians of CPC find the ability to receive real-time information, like lab results, to be an invaluable tool in patient care.  Further streamlining patient care is the ability to receive various hospital documents for patients as well.

CPC is also now offering the MediSYS Patient Portal to continue to improve its patients’ satisfaction and enhance practice efficiency.  This optional service with MediSYS EHR offers a secure gateway for patients to conveniently access certain information and communicate with clinics.

With Patient Portal, CPC patients now have self-service options like: viewing their medications list and history, submitting refill requests to physicians, viewing refill statuses which can be approved or denied by the physician, submitting messages to physicians and staff, viewing messages from the physician or staff, viewing lab results with comments that are forwarded by the physician, requesting a new appointment and viewing existing appointments.  All of these make it easier than ever to communicate with patients for CPC providers.

MediSYS EHR is just one of the programs offered by the Alabama-based company, MediSYS for Physicians, Inc.  MediSYS has provided Alabama clinics like CPC it products and services for 28+ years.  A locally-owned company with state-of-the-art technology in the areas of clinical practice management and electronic health records, MediSYS leads Alabama with its superior support and individualized training processes for today’s medical practices.

See the full article in the March 29, 2013 – Washington County News.

MediSYS allows clinics to continue the day-to-day clinical functionality that varies greatly from the standard systems utilized by hospitals for billing. Our ambulatory practice management software leads the way in direct connectivity to major insurance vendors throughout the state such as Blue Cross, Medicare and Medicaid.  This creates a faster turn-around on payments and claim audits enabling the practice to be more profitable. This in turn helps create a cost-effective solution for the hospital as owner and manager.  To manage all of the daily, monthly and ad-hoc reporting, MediSYS has created a full source reporting module as part of its standard package with no additional hourly or monthly charges for their clients.  Our reports also offer the flexibility of Excel^tm Pivot Tables for further data manipulation and reporting.  With MediSYS, hospitals and providers can easily track and review necessary information, such as RVUs from an operational stand point.

With software in 600+ practices throughout Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia, MediSYS has developed a speedy front office check-in that helps providers continue their pace of business without typical bottlenecks caused when using billing systems normally designed for use in an in-patient setting. Checking eligibility is a must in today’s industry and MediSYS providers can do this quickly and efficiently before and after the time of service enabling providers to keep collection rates higher.  With many hospital-owned providers paid for their productivity, speed and efficiency rank high among their selection processes for software.  With MediSYS, providers and hospitals can be assured that the software is designed for speed, accuracy and efficiency on all levels.

MediSYS also provides superior support and implementation processes.  Knowing that many hospitals will have their own procedures for management, billing and IT in place, MediSYS tailors its implementation for each organization.  As stated by one of the state’s leading Meaningful Use consulting agencies, “MediSYS goes above and beyond to educate their providers.  They provide support like no other vendor.”  With ongoing free classes related to today’s penalties and incentives, MediSYS providers have collected over 4.1 million dollars in Alabama alone.  MediSYS can do as much or as little as needed, but always stands ready to work with hospitals and providers to provide the best solutions for today’s clinics at a fraction of the cost.

Another area related to hospital success is integration for interoperability.  MediSYS has led the way through integration with fourteen plus major lab reference companies and systems, as well as with twenty-two plus hospitals throughout the state. MediSYS was also one of the first vendors to incorporate integration to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s ‘Immprint’ system through MediSYS EHR.  If a hospital decides to only utilize the MediSYS billing portion, MediSYS M2 also offers integration with hundreds of other outlying vendors.

MediSYS serves over 1,000 Alabama providers providing electronic health records, practice management systems and medical billing.

*$15,000 LOSS in possible incentives if you WAIT till 2014

BOTTOM LINE: START THIS YEAR
Waiting till 2014 to begin means you could forfeit $15,000 of potential incentive money. To avoid this, start TODAY in 2013 and attest for 90 days of ‘meaningful use’. Don’t leave this money on the table.

NEW: CMS EHR Participation Timeline
CMS has posted a new interactive resource that allows EPs to determine the years in which Stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 of meaningful use will meet based on the first year of participation.
My EHR Participation Timeline
To begin, choose either the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs. Then select your first year of participation in the program you choose.
Other information available on the timeline:

• Length of time required in each stage to demonstrate meaningful use
• Maximum incentive payment potentially receive each year
• Total incentive payment over course of the program based on first year of participation

MEDICARE EHR INCENTIVE PROGRAM RECAP

• Eligible professionals (EPs) who demonstrate meaningful use can earn up to $39,000 if the eligible professional qualifies to receive first payment in 2013.
• Medicare EPs must successfully demonstrate ‘meaningful use’ all years of participation.
• The reporting period for the first year is any continuous 90 days during the calendar year. All subsequent years, the reporting period is the entire calendar year.
• EPs who do not successfully demonstrate meaningful use prior to 2015 will incur a payment adjustment starting at 1% levied in 2015 and increasing each year that meaningful use is not successfully demonstrated. The cap on the payment adjustment is 5%.

MEDICAID EHR INCENTIVE PROGRAM RECAP

• The Medicaid EHR Incentive Program will continue to pay incentives through 2021.
• EPs can participate for 6 non-consecutive years.
• EPs can potentially gain higher incentive payments under the Medicaid EHR Program – up to $63,750 over 6 years.
• Medicaid EPs can adopt, implement, or upgrade to a certified EHR in their first participation year to receive the incentive. All subsequent years, EPs will need to successfully demonstrate meaningful use.
• EPs will not be subject to a payment adjustment under the Medicaid program. However, if EPs also see Medicare patients then a payment adjustment to Medicare reimbursements starting in 2015 will be incurred if meaningful use is not successfully demonstrated prior to 2015.

If you have not purchased an EHR don’t wait any longer! As the deadline dates of participation draw near, our implementation calendars are filling up with clinics not wanting to leave this $15,000 on the table! Call today to schedule your demonstration and to learn how your clinic can join many other MediSYS clients who combined have collected over $4 million in incentive money!

Thank you,

MediSYS

Although not all incentive payments have been reported, those payments reported to MediSYS indicate our Alabama Providers have collected over 4 million dollars in incentive payments.  And that number continues to grow every day as physicians report receiving their checks.

Providers from cities across the state of Alabama have received Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive payments.  Plus, many Medicare providers have collected significant ePrescribe incentive payments, PQRS incentives and more.  Specialties receiving incentive payments range from General Surgery, Family Practice, Internal Medicine, ENT, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Pain Management, Pediatricians, Podiatry, Physical Therapy to Urology.

Celebrating over 28 years in business, MediSYS serves over 1,000 Alabama providers providing electronic health records, practice management systems and medical billing.

The Quality Reporting Communications Support Page is now open to accept hardship exemption requests to avoid the 2014 2% eRx penalty. This page will be accessible through June 30, 3013 in order for providers to submit hardship exemption requests. If you submitted a hardship exemption request last year, you must also do so again this year as they must be submitted annually.

To learn more about the ePrescribing Incentive Program and how you can avoid upcoming penalties please visit our website at 2013 eRX Incentive Program.

For more information please visit CMS eRx Payment Adjustment Information. To view the current document on the 2013 eRX Incentive Program and the 2014 Payment Adjustment click on the document titled “2013 eRx Incentive Program: 2014 Payment Adjustment” in the “Downloads” section of the CMS webpage.