Hello Fred,  House passes economic recovery legislation, including HIT funding for practices and new privacy restrictions By a 244-188 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives approved on Jan. 28 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1) -- an $819 billion economic stimulus package that contains more than $20 billion in health information technology (HIT) funding.  The bill would create an incentive program for Medicare Part B providers that allocates thousands of dollars for qualifying practices that implement electronic health records (EHRs).  To qualify for the incentive payments, physician practices would have use a “certified” EHR in a “meaningful” way as well as report on quality measures.  Medicare payments would decrease starting in 2016 for practices that fail to adopt EHRs. The legislation also changes privacy restrictions established by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.     The Senate is expected to vote on similar legislation next week.  The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) will update members on this legislation.    Click here for the complete text of H.R. 1.     Click here for additional information.   Government issues final rule mandating switch to ICD-10 code sets   Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule requiring the health care industry to adopt the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) for outpatient diagnoses codes, replacing ICD-9-CM.  Physician practices and others must begin submitting ICD-10-CM diagnoses codes by Oct. 1, 2013.    Medical practices will have to:  • Update or replace practice management-system software • Train clinical and administrative staff • Review and modify organizational work flow • Evaluate vendor, clearinghouse and health-plan contracts and data requirements • Develop appropriate processes and budgets to implement these new requirements.    MGMA will offer resources to help members prepare for and implement ICD-10-CM. MGMA will discuss these critical regulations in detail and answer your questions in a March 5 Webinar. Consult billing confusion continues   Many of you continue to have issues when billing for consults according to posts in the MGMA Member Community. The issues center on definition of a consult and how it differs from a new-patient visit. Some are also uncertain what constitutes appropriate referrals and documentation for a consult.   To learn the correct way to bill for consults, register for the Feb. 26 Webinar “Boost Revenue: Correctly Bill for a Consult,”, or call MGMA Government Affairs toll-free 877.275.6462 ext. 1300, or e-mail MGMA.     Join the MGMA-moderated Federal Legislation Regulation and Red Tape Forum   Questions about pending Medicare legislation? Can't quite get a handle on incident-to billing rules? Wonder what’s going on with Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting Initiative? Wondering about the new FTC Red Flags rule? Ready for ICD-10? Why does Medicare provider enrollment take so long?   For the answers to these and other questions, join the online Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) Federal Legislation Regulation and Red Tape Forum. It’s moderated by the MGMA Government Affairs Department. You can discuss health-care policy issues, ask questions about the impact of federal legislation and regulations and stay informed on changes that might affect your practice.   To join this forum, visit mgma.com and select "Discussion Forums" under "Member Community." You’ll find the Federal Legislation Regulation and Red Tape Forum under the list of MGMA Expert-Moderated Forums.

Jan. 29, 2009 - House passes economic recovery legislation, including HIT funding for practices and new privacy restrictions - Government issues final rule mandating switch to ICD-10 code sets - Consult billing confusion continues - Join the MGMA-moderated Federal Legislation Regulation and Red Tape Forum