End of 2011, but Not End of Meaningful Use

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Now that 2011 is over, have you put meaningful use behind you? If so, you’re making a costly mistake. According to the January Urgent Care News story “EMR Experts: Start EMR Today and Still Get $44K,” 2011 was just the beginning for meaningful use. Physicians who qualify for the program still have a chance to get full stimulus dollars – that’s up to $44K per physician for the Medicare program. Be sure to check out the article for more information.

Here are some important dates for the Medicare program to remember as you head into 2012:

  • October 1, 2012: This is the last date for you to begin meaningful use of an EMR and still be eligible for the full $44,000 from Medicare.  Since it takes several months to up to speed for full meaningful use, however, we would recommend that you start using your EMR no later than mid-summer, 2012
  • December 31, 2011: This was the date the reporting year ended for the Medicare program in 2011. That means if you were planning on attesting for 2011, you must have completed your 90-day reporting period by December 31, 2011.
  • February 29, 2012: Even though the deadline to complete your 90-day reporting period was December 31, 2011, you actually have until February 29, 2012, to register and attest to receive payment for 2011. ALSO….CMS allows 60 days after December 31, 2011, for all pending claims to be processed, so February 29, 2012, is also your deadline for submitting pending Medicare Part B claims from calendar year 2011. Remember: the Medicare program incentive payments are based on 75 percent of Part B allowed charges from visits that occurred in 2011. If you did not meet the $24,000 threshold in Part B allowed charges by the end of the 2011 calendar year, CMS expects to issue incentive payments in April 2012 for 75 percent of your Part B charges from 2011.

The Medicaid program is handled by individual states, so you must contact your state Medicaid agency for more information on your specific Medicaid program.

For more information on both programs, visit www.cms.gov/ehrincentiveprograms.

This resource was first published prior to the 2019 merger between DocuTAP and Practice Velocity. The content reflects our legacy brands.