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      EHR Incentive Program and REC Assistance

      For physicians who qualify, there are federal incentives available through the Medicare and Medicaid programs for meaningfully using an electronic medical record (EMR). Achieving meaningful use can mean up to $63,750 in incentives from Medicaid or $44,000 from Medicare through the 2009 ARRA Stimulus.

      Regional Extension Centers (RECs) in Texas have been created to support primary care physicians with individualized on-site services, technical assistance, guidance and ongoing support to select, implement or upgrade Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) in their practices.  

  • HIT Helpline - Your TMA Resource for HIT Questions

  • Consider This...

  • Top Five Reasons You Should Use HIT Regional Extension Centers (RECs):

    1. Unbiased assistance with EHR selection
    2. $300 consulting fee for primary-care physicians (valued at $5,000)
    3. Ensure meaningful use achievement
    4. Help physicians apply for federal EHR incentives of up to $63,750
    5. RECs are physician-centric and will provide help in your practice

    Learn more about the RECs now.

  • HIT News

    • Meaningful Use Public Health Measures
      According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Meaningful Use Stage 1 measures, physicians must attest to at least one public health measure from the list of menu criteria in an effort to improve public health.
    • Medicaid Opens Meaningful Use Portal
      If you participate in the Texas Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Program and already have successfully attested to first-year requirements, you now may begin attesting to receive 2012 Stage 1 meaningful use incentives.
    • HIT Tools and Resources at Your Fingertips
      TMA works diligently to give you the tools you need to tackle the challenges of technology. Whether you need help selecting an electronic health record (EHR) or understanding the EHR incentive program or information on e-prescribing, TMA has the resources. Take a look at some of the tools TMA offers physicians.
    • CMS Delays ICD-10
      Texas Medical Association advocacy paid off again as U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Feb. 16 that physicians will not have to begin using the new ICD-10 coding system next year. ICD-10 codes were to take effect Oct 1. 2013, but Secretary Sebelius said that is delayed until an unspecified date. 
    • HIEs Active in Texas
      Health information exchanges (HIE) in Texas are being established with $28 million in federal funds Texas received as a result of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009. The Texas Health Services Authority, a public-private partnership whose board includes physicians, oversees distribution of the money. 
    • Did You Get an E-Prescribing Penalty?
      Some physicians have picked up a 1-percent Medicare penalty this year for not e-prescribing in 2011, even though they thought they did everything correctly.

  • 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
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      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. 
    • Incentive Calculator
      Calculate your incentives with this tool created by the Harris County Medical Society (HCMS).   membersonlyred(2) 
    • 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

    • Letter to CMS on Regulatory Burdens
      The undersigned organizations are writing to express our profound concern about the imminent storm that is about to occur due to simultaneous implementation of multiple programs that will create extraordinary financial and administrative burden as well as mass confusion for physicians. These programs include the value-based modifier, penalties under the electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) program, physician quality reporting system (PQRS) and electronic health record (EHR) incentive program, along with the transition to ICD-10
    • Penalized for Not E-Prescribing in 2011?
      TMA is getting calls from physicians who were penalized 1 percent for not e-prescribing in 2011, even though they thought they did everything correctly.
    • E-Prescribing Penalties Kicked In Jan. 1, 2012
      If you were not a “successful electronic prescriber” in 2011 under Medicare’s e-prescribing incentive program (and you were not exempt), you will be penalized 1 percent on all your Medicare Part B payments in 2012.
    • E-Prescribing, PQRS Accept Appeals
      The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is starting an informal appeals process this month for the 2011 PQRS and e-prescribing programs. Physicians can request an informal appeal via the QualityNet Help Desk, and CMS will review the data to determine whether CMS made a mistake in calculating the penalty for not e-prescribing.
    • E-Prescribing
      Find out what you need to know about e-prescribing.

  • Don’t miss out…

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has a new listserv about the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. The listserv will provide timely, authoritative information about the programs, including registration and attestation updates, and details about the payment process.

    By subscribing to the listserv, CMS will keep you informed of upcoming deadlines and give you answers to the questions and concerns that they have gathered from eligible professionals and hospitals in the field. New updates will be emailed through the listserv to keep you informed of any developments, and subscribers will be notified of any new FAQ's that are published on the CMS EHR Incentive Programs’ website. 

    We encourage you to let others know about the CMS EHR listserv, and to share its messages. Click here to join the listserv and learn more.