The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) previously announced that eligible professionals who did not become successful electronic prescribers under the 2011 Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program are subject to a payment adjustment in 2012. Please review this Medicare Learning Network article regarding how payment adjustments were calculated.
A number of AASM members submitted hardship exemption requests in late 2011. Approval of such a request would exempt the physician from eRx Incentive Program payment adjustments. CMS originally intended to publish a report of providers approved for hardship exemption. However, it was announced in January that such a report was not technically feasible due to the large number of requests received. Eligible professionals are encouraged to contact the QualityNet Help Desk at 1-866-288-8912 or qnetsupport@sdps.org with questions regarding hardship exemptions and payment adjustments.
For additional information about the 2012 eRx adjustment, please review the CMS quick reference guide . To help you avoid future penalties, CMS has developed an article with guidance for how to avoid eRx payment adjustments in 2013 and 2014. The article details program requirements as well as provides instructions for applying for a hardship exemption.
