Deadline Reminder for CMS eRx Program Hardship Exemption

The Deadline to Request a Hardship Exemption for the eRx Incentive Program is November 1, 2011

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would like to remind eligible professionals and group practices that the deadline to request a hardship exemption for the 2012 Medicare Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program adjustment is November 1, 2011.

Eligible professionals and group practices should determine if they are subject to the 2012 eRx payment adjustment by reviewing the MLN Article SE1107. If you believe that you may be subject to the 2012 eRx payment adjustment, you should determine if you meet any of the hardship exemption categories specified by CMS in the 2011 Medicare Electronic Prescribing (eRx) Incentive Program Final Rule. 

In addition, a Quick Reference Guide is available to help you understand the changes that the eRx Final Rule made to the 2011 Medicare eRx Incentive Program. As a result of changes to the program, eligible professionals and group practices have until November 1, 2011 to submit a significant hardship exemption request and rationale. 

Exemption Requirements

Please note, to be considered for an exemption under the significant hardship exemption category “Eligible professionals who register to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs and adopt Certified EHR Technology,” an eligible professional must:

1.    Have registered for either the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program (for instructions on how to register for one of the EHR Incentive Programs, please visit the Registration and Attestation page of the EHR Incentive Programs website; and

2.    Providers have to show that they adopted certified EHR technology no later than October 1, 2011, and provide identifying information about the certified EHR technology. Please note that in order to qualify for an exemption to the 2012 eRx payment adjustment under this significant hardship exemption category, it is not necessary that an eligible professional receive an incentive payment under the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.

Registration Details

Eligible professionals wishing to register for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program in states that have not yet launched their respective programs may initiate the registration process at the CMS Registration and Attestation System and obtain a registration number, even though they will not be able to successfully complete registration. If a State has not launched its Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, the State name will not appear in the drop-down menu for eligible professionals to select. However, a registration number is assigned even if registration is not successfully completed. 

In order to initiate registration for the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, please visit the registration site and follow the instructions to begin the registration process.  Obtaining a CMS EHR Incentive Programs registration number, even if the registration is not successfully completed, suffices for the purposes of applying for a significant hardship exemption for the 2012 Medicare e-Prescribing payment adjustment.

To request an exemption, individual eligible professionals must submit their hardship exemption requests through the Quality Communications Support Page and group practices participating under the group practice reporting option (GPRO) must submit hardship exemption requests via a letter to CMS. 

Please remember that CMS will review these requests on a case-by-case basis.  All decisions on significant hardship exemption requests will be final.

For additional information and resources, please visit the eRx page on the CMS website, and see the new FAQ.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs?
Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs  website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.