Tap Into E-Prescribe 2 Percent Bonus Basics
Question: I heard that physicians may receive bonuses for e-prescribing. What codes would we report for this program? Florida Subscriber Answer: Physicians who adopt e-prescription systems are eligible to earn a bonus of 2 percent of their total Medicare allowed charges. The physician does not have to register to be considered for the 2 percent bonus from eprescribing. The physician must report e-prescription activity on 50 percent of the Medicare patients he sees. Reporting includes three G codes, which indicate one of three conditions: " G8443 -- All prescriptions created during the encounter were generated using a qualified eprescribing system " G8445 -- No prescriptions were generated during the encounter, provider does have access to a qualified e-prescribing system " G8446 -- Provider does have access to a qualified e-prescribing system ... Good news: You do not have to have an electronic medical record (EMR) system to e-prescribe. You can find stand-alone e-prescription systems, such as online options,that are substantially less costly than a full-blown EMR. For more, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/ERXincentive. --The answers to the Reader Questions and You Be the Billing Expert were provided or reviewed by Barbara J.Cobuzzi, MBA, CPC, CENTC, CPC-H, CPC-P, CPC-I,CHCC, president of CRN Healthcare Solutions, a coding and reimbursement consulting firm in Tinton Falls, N.J., and senior coder and auditor for The Coding Network.
