decisionhealth Newsletters, Part B News - 2011 Issue 2 (February)
GAO to CMS: Address inconsistency in e-Rx incentives
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Article Overview
This article covers a Government Accountability Office review of CMS-administered e-prescribing incentive programs and the ways they differ in structure, reporting, timing, and oversight. It is relevant to physicians, other health care providers, compliance staff, and coding/reimbursement professionals tracking health information technology incentive policy and CMS program administration. The discussion includes GAO’s recommended areas for alignment, program implementation review, and audit strategy, along with CMS’s response to those recommendations.
Why This Topic Matters
The article highlights policy and administrative differences that can affect provider reporting obligations, incentive eligibility, and program oversight. It is useful for understanding how federal health IT initiatives may change and what that could mean for provider participation and compliance.
Article Sections
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Overview of CMS e-prescribing incentive programs
Introduces the two CMS-administered incentive programs and the GAO’s concerns about their overall consistency and effectiveness.
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GAO findings on program differences
Summarizes the major areas in which the programs differ, including timing, requirements, reporting, and audit planning.
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GAO recommendations to CMS
Lists the broad categories of actions GAO recommended CMS take to improve coordination, implementation, and oversight.
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CMS response and GAO clarification
Describes CMS’s partial agreement with the recommendations and GAO’s clarification regarding technology adoption guidance.
What You Will Learn
- How GAO evaluated CMS e-prescribing incentive programs
- What kinds of administrative inconsistencies were identified
- What categories of improvements GAO recommended to CMS
- How CMS responded to GAO’s recommendations
Who Should Read This
- Physicians
- Health care providers
- Compliance staff
- Medical billing and coding professionals
- Health information technology administrators
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