You'll face financial consequences beginning in 2012 if you fail to electronically prescribe drugs for your patients in 2011. Your Medicare reimbursements will decrease by 1% in 2012 and by 1.5% in 2013 for not adopting e-prescribing technology next year, CMS states in the proposed 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

Eye doctors would be the biggest winners in 2011 when it comes to Medicare payment, a Part B News analysis of the proposed physician fee schedule (PFS) shows. While primary care practices are poised to see the biggest pay boosts of all thanks to health reform (PBN 7/5/10), ophthalmologists and optometrists would get a 4% raise in 2011 that would double to 8% in 2013, if the proposed PFS is finalized.

Watch out for prefered provider organizations (PPOs) you deal with that are affiliated with "wraparound networks." These networks are not illegal, but they create problems for physicians when they don't know they're in one and end up billing patients incorrectly.

Download the July Tool of the Month from the Part B News online Hot Documents library at www.partbnews.com today. The tool is a checklist to help you track that your electronic health record (EHR) system meets meaningful use requirements and you will qualify for EHR Incentive Program bonuses.

Your chances of defeating an overpayment demand from one of CMS's Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) is very high when you can show the claim should be paid, according to the latest data on appeals filed against RACs during the program's three-year demonstration.

This chart examines states with a high intensity of specialty work, as measured by the number of services billed by specialists versus those billed by primary care practices. This figure is represented by the ratios that appear above each bar in the chart.

You are required to select five of these 10 objectives when attempting to earn the EHR incentive of up to $18,000 in 2011. Part B News featured the 15 core objectives for the program in last week's issue (PBN 7/19/10).

You won't easily find electronic health record (EHR) products on the market right now that will meet CMS's meaningful use requirements (see story), industry insiders say. The AMA says this remains a prominent challenge for you and your peers to meet the meaningful use requirements despite the simplification of EHR measures.

We continue to have problems understanding the correct billing process when a patient is in observation, then admitted to the hospital. Example: We billed 99218 ($64.90), for observation care for June 10. The patient is admitted to the hospital and on June 11, we bill 99221 ($97.34) for the initial hospital care done by the same physician.