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Meaningful use updates available by e-mail
■ Physicians and health care organizations can sign up with CMS for news about the payment process and tips on wading through the incentive program.
By Pamela Lewis Dolan — Posted March 3, 2011
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched a listserv to share information quickly about the government's meaningful use incentive program.
CMS will use the listserv to disseminate information about meaningful use directly to subscribers by e-mail.
A listserv is an electronic mailing list that can send an e-mail to multiple recipients at one time. Users can join the listserv by following the "CMS EHR Incentive Programs Listserv" link on the webpage CMS developed for meaningful use information. (link).
Alerts will be sent about deadlines, updates to the program's registration or attestation process, details about the payment process and general information about navigating through the incentive program.
Subscribers can set preferences for what type of information they want and how often they want to receive it. There is also a menu of other Medicare and Medicaid topics and programs users can select to receive.
CMS created a website in 2010 devoted to the incentive program. A page for frequently asked questions that was added in June 2010 will be incorporated into the listserv by notifying subscribers when answers to new questions have been posted. Subscribers to the listserv can submit new questions.
Stage 1 of the meaningful use program started at the beginning of 2011. The Medicare portion of the program will continue making payments through 2016, and Medicaid will continue through 2021. CMS is accepting public comments on stage 2 requirements. Physicians can earn up to $44,000 in Medicare bonuses or nearly $64,000 in Medicaid bonuses by meeting all meaningful use criteria.
The American Medical Association has information and tools for physicians who hope to qualify for meaningful use on its health IT webpage, which includes a tool to help determine whether to apply for Medicare or Medicaid incentives (link).