CMS Threatens to Slash Medicare Payments by 27.4%

Ok, technically CMS just issued a teaser of their final Medicare payments rule which is due to finalized and out November 28, 2011.  But when you really look at it and think about it, it really is a threat of you vs. the federal government.  At the beginning of this month CMS (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services) released a final rule stating that unless Congress does something by January 1, 2012 physicians and non-physicians (who receive reimbursements under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule) will have subsequent payments slashed by 27.4%.  Although this number is down from the 29.5% cut CMS had estimated would occur earlier this year (because Medicare physician services have fallen below increased practice costs).

Permanent EHR Certification Program Delayed by ONC

Dr. Farzad Mostashari the coordinator for the Office of the National Coordinator for Heath IT (ONC) announced last week (click here for the posted announcement) that the permanent EHR certification would be delayed about 6 months, from January 1, 2012 to mid-2012.  This shift also coincides, deliberately, with implementation of the Phase 2 meaningful use standards.

We're Back - Focus Group 2011!

Focus on 5010 and More!  Click Here for more details and registration.

Happy Birthday to Us, & to You!

Visit Cupcake Obsession for more cute cupcakes.

Today is our birthday!  Genius Solutions is 25 years old.  Wow.

There have been so many changes over the last 25 years in healthcare, with computers and technology, and maybe even with you.  Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or are just joining us now…. Thank-you!  You’re part of our Genius extended family and we’re glad to know you and have you with us.  Treat yourselves to a cup of something you love and a piece of cake today while offering up a toast.  We’ll be toasting each other and you with cupcakes at lunch.

Here’s to working together for the next 25 years and seeing where this great healthcare adventure takes all of us!

And thanks again for being part of our family and our 25th Birthday-- We love you!

Save a Life Doc?

Ok, you are probably going to have raised an eyebrow by now.  Good.  You doctors are trained to help people and save lives and we all know this, but what about the rest of your office staff?  Patients don’t come to your office because they feel good.  Heck, if they’re as bad as me, they won’t show up until they are dying or practically dead.  That being the case, are your staff trained as first responders?  When minutes count can they act until you can be grabbed or reached to help?  How about an AED machine?  Do you have one in your office?  Is it easy and quick to get to from the front or from one of your exam rooms?  You care about your patients enough to be there long hours every day; do you care enough to make sure your whole office is prepared to assist you in your work?

Worried about ICD-10? Relax, ICD-11 is on its way!

Picture courtesy of http://icanhascheezburger.com

Yes, just when you thought your life couldn’t get any more complicated and governmentally annoying, someone just had to say it… ICD-11.  Yes, after a 23 year process to integrate ICD-10 codes, from their inception, into our United States vernacular, there are already newer codes looming on the horizon.  Perhaps if we hadn’t waited so long to move into ICD-10, this wouldn’t be like dripping ice water down your sun-warmed backs. 

Dr. Arkfeld's Live WritePad Training #3

Be up and running with WritePad now!

Please Mark Your Calendar for November 10th and Register now.

Our September classes WritePad classes filled up so fast that Dr. Arkfeld is offering an additional training date on Nov 10, to accommodate additional Write Pad Users.  It is still free for those that have purchased his training and who are just starting or have not yet completed their WritePad training.  For anyone who would like to attend, but had not previously purchased Dr. Arkfeld's training, you may also attend for the modest training price of $399 per person.

Stimulus Payments and Meaningful Use, Preparing for 2012

Guess what?
If you haven’t already registered and if you are not meaningfully using your EHR 2011 is no longer an option for you.  You needed to report for 90 days this year and you would have to have registered and been using by the beginning of October to qualify for the 2011 payouts.

Is it worth it?  Really? 
We can’t speak for each of you, but I can direct you to this nifty article “CMS pays out nearly $90M in MU incentives in September” at HealtcareITNews.

Have you added the eRX programs to your WritePad?

The last 90-day Meaningful Use reporting period for 2011 begins October 3rd.

As mentioned in the WritePad training earlier this month with Dr. Arkfeld, if you want to earn the Medicare Stimulus money for 2010, you must begin at the beginning of October to complete the 90-day window. You also must have the WritePad eRx (e-Prescribing) add-on to be able to fulfill all of the Meaningful Use portions to receive the money.

We just got word from WritePad today that you MUST purchase/have the eRx or eRx Check add-on by no later than this coming Monday, September 26, 2011 or you cannot start your reporting period. Per WritePad, it can take as long as a week to complete the registration process and you must have the service installed and functioning by October 3rd in order to be able to complete your reporting and be eligible for this year’s funds.

Call the WritePad client relations manager at 800-496-2001 extension 2 for installation information.

Special Webinar- Registering for the MR Incentive Program

eTHOMAS/Writepad Roundtable Discussion Series- Registering for the Medicare Incentive Program

So, you've purchased & begun using a Certified EHR, now what?

Join us for a Roundtable Webinar with Dr. Ted Arkfeld to make sure you know exactly what you need to do, to get the Incentive money you deserve. Get information from the expert, and have a chance to ask questions. Dr. Arkfeld will take you step-by-step through the registration process for the government's ARRA "Meaningful Use" Incentive Program for healthcare providers.

Don't be stressed out, we've got your back. 

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 27th, from 12:30-1:00pm EST. Don't miss out!

Register for this Special webinar here.

ICD-10: Gone are the Days

ICD-10—Potpourri:
General State of Readiness- How you can & should be Preparing for the Inevitable, Part 4 of 4

ICD-10 Heralds the Death of the Superbill 

 
This article goes into a bit more detail, but I think you can gather from the above discussions that a superbill just isn’t going to be super enough to cut it for ICD-10.  Gayl Kirkpatrick, from 3M HIS Consulting Services, gave an example from a hospital her team consulted with. "We took a two-page superbill in ICD-9 and translated that into ICD-10," Kirkpatrick said. "It became a 48-page superbill." (1)

ICD-10: Concerns & Preparations

ICD-10—Potpourri:
General State of Readiness- How you can & should be Preparing for the Inevitable, Part 3 of 4

“When healthcare transitioned to ICD-9 on Oct. 1, 1984, there was still great confusion 18 months later on how to submit the codes. There was great deal of frustration both on the provider side as well as the health plan side. There was also a huge lack of training to prepare the doctors for the transition to ICD-9. As a result, for almost a year, there were large drops in revenue.

I am seeing things now, for ICD-10, that I witnessed back then for ICD-9. A great deal of people have not even started their processes.” Ben Michelson, of Hayes Management Consulting ...(1.)