Physicians Can Earn 2% Medicare Bonus for e-Prescribing
[Posted 12/22/08]

Physicians who use qualified e-prescribing systems to transmit prescriptions to pharmacies can earn a bonus payment of 2 percent of their total Medicare allowed charges during 2009. This new incentive is in addition to the 2 percent bonus for participating in the quality reporting program and the 1.1 percent general payment update.

To be eligible for the e-prescribing bonus, the services linked to e-prescribing measures must make up at least 10 percent of your Medicare charges for the year. You must also use a qualified electronic prescribing system that can:

• Generate a complete medication list with available data from pharmacies and benefit managers.
• Select medications and transmit prescriptions electronically (not via fax) following applicable federal standards, after warning the prescriber of any possible safety issues associated with the drug orders.
• Provide information on lower-cost, therapeutically appropriate alternatives.
• Provide drug plan information, such as formularies, patient eligibility, and authorization requirements.

For more details on the e-prescribing bonus, see the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ “Practical Guide to the E-prescribing Incentive Program." For more information on e-prescribing in general, see eHealth Initiative’s “Clinician’s Guide to Electronic Prescribing,” a how-to guide to help physicians make informed decisions about how and when to transition from paper to electronic prescribing systems.

Contact: Desiree Rice, 916/551-2865 or drice@cmanet.org.