HIT Helpline - Your TMA Resource for HIT Questions

• TMA HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HELPLINE
  

  (800) 880-5720 
  HIT@texmed.org

    @TexmedHIT

HIT News

• Texans Tops in Meaningful Use
  Texas has more physicians meeting the federal meaningful use criteria in adopting electronic health records (EHRs) than does any other state, according to an analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data by the Institute for Health Technology Transformation. 
• HIPAA 5010: Can I Revert to Paper Claims?
  Q: I am still struggling with my vendor to comply with HIPAA 5010 during the Medicare grace period that ends March 31. I currently file claims electronically. Can I just go back to paper for all my claims?
• Congratulations to North Texas REC!
  Congratulations to the North Texas Regional Extension Center (REC) for achieving 100 percent of its enrollment goal of 1,498 primary care physicians. All four of the Texas RECs must meet an enrollment milestone to continue their important work of helping physicians with their practice technology needs. North Texas REC is the first Texas REC to meet this important milestone. 
• Meaningful Use Deadline Coming
  Physicians have until Feb. 29 to register and attest to meeting meaningful use requirements to receive payments for 2011 through the Medicare & Medicaid EHR Incentive Program Registration and Attestation System. 
• HIEs Necessary for Meaningful Use
  Exchanging data is one of the 15 required measures physicians must meet to achieve meaningful use for the federal Medicare or Medicaid incentives. Connecting to a local health information exchange (HIE) enables data exchanges.

HIT Tools You Can Use

• Meaningful Use Achievement Toolkit - NEW!
  Have you registered for the Medicare EHR Incentive program, but you’re not sure how to meet meaningful use? Turn to TMA’s Meaningful Use Toolkit for detailed instructions about what is required, specific to your EHR product*, to meet any one of the 25 meaningful-use criteria defined by the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services.
  *The EHRs represented are e-MDs, GE/Centricity, Greenway Medical, and NextGen.
• EHR Incentive Program Eligibility Tool
  Are you eligible or exempt? Use this tool from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine eligibility for both programs.
• EHR Product Evaluation Tool
  

  

  Need help finding the right EMR for your practice? Texas Medical Association (TMA) physician members have overwhelmingly indicated to us they need help when it comes to health information technology. They specifically want help with electronic medical record (EMR) selection. TMA is here to help.
• EHR Incentive Program Resources
  Unsure which electronic health record (EHR) incentive program is right for you? TMA has resources to help you make this important decision. Registration opened in January for both EHR incentive programs. If you are one of the many Texas physicians planning to enroll in either program, we recommend you start as soon as possible. 
• EHR Buyer Beware: Issues to Consider When Contracting with EHR Vendors
  This paper discusses eight important EHR contract terms your medical practice should consider before signing an EHR contract.
• EMR Readiness Assessment
  This readiness worksheet will provide you with an overview of your organization’s ability to successfully adopt an electronic medical record (EMR) solution.
• HIT Security Risk Assessment Questionnaire (by ONC)
  The purpose of a risk assessment is to identify conditions where Electronic Protected Health Information (EPHI) could be disclosed without proper authorization, improperly modified, or made unavailable when needed. This information is then used to make risk management decisions on what reasonable and appropriate safeguards are needed to reduce risk to an acceptable level.
• Questions for EHR Vendors
  Learn some of the important questions to ask vendors during the selection process.
• Questions for EHR Vendor References
  What questions should you ask when speaking to another practice that currently uses the EHR vendor you are considering?  

E-Prescribing News