We are surrounded by cliches in our culture.
We hear them virtually every day in our society from one source or another.
From my point view, one topic that always plummets into cliche is the topic of change.
I'm now past the halfway point in my life, and it's safe to say that the next person who approaches to me with a happy, revelatory look on their face and says "The only constant is change" as if they have just discovered the Ark of the Covenant has a 50/50 chance of forcibly eating the chair I'm currently sitting in.
Having said that, I'd like to reveal what I feel are two great changes with regard to the reporting of the utilization of electronic prescriptions to Medicare and the reimbursement for this reporting under the current e-prescribe bonus program.
Beginning on January 1, 2010, if a medical provider electronically prescribes at least one medication electronically, this will be reported with the new e-prescribe HCPCS code of G8553.
The prior reporting codes of G8443, G8445 & G8446 will be deleted.
This change will eliminate any confusion concerning what code to choose.
If you e-prescribe one or more medications, G8553 will be reported.
If no prescriptions are electronically prescribed, nothing is reported.
In addition, the qualifying for the incentive bonus payment is about to get easier.
Currently, in order to qualify for the e-prescribe bonus, a provider must have a 50% rate of electronic prescribing for all prescriptions generated from his or her practice.
For 2010, the physician will only need to electronically prescribe 25 times a year in order to qualify.
There are a few things to take into account as we approach these changes.
The reporting code must always be reported with a unique face-to-face patient encounter in order to count towards the 25-visit minimum.
Also, the definition of electronic prescribing does NOT include faxes.
In conclusion, if you want an illustration of negative change, as a resident of Milwaukee, I need only look at where the temperatures stood on Thanksgiving and compare them to today.
The temperature has dipped into the low teens, and I've spent the bulk of the time trying to stay warm at my desk as I type this by playing the more raucous portions of my mp3 player's catalog.
Who knew that Husker Du's Zen Arcade had a legitimate business purpose? Sometimes, it is of huge advantage to avoid cliche.