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The Nation's Orthopaedic Surgeons Join Provider-LED Electronic Prescribing Initiative
(Market Wire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) WASHINGTON, DC -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 10/05/09 --
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
(AAOS) today announced their participation in "Get Connected," a program
designed to help more of the nation's physicians and other prescribers use
electronic prescribing. Now backed by 17 of the nation's leading medical
associations, Get Connected is intended to help physicians and other
prescribers take advantage of current Medicare incentives aimed at
increasing the adoption and use of e-prescribing. Beginning in 2011,
incentives may also be available to physicians and other prescribers who
use e-prescribing as part of an electronic health record. These additional
incentives fall under the HITECH provisions within the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act.
"There are many different activities driving the adoption of electronic
prescribing by orthopaedic surgeons," said Stephen Makk, MD, MBA, Chair of
the AAOS Practice Management Committee. "Two key drivers are the
CMS-sponsored E-Prescribing Incentive Program and the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009. Through participation in the Get Connected
program, the AAOS goal is to provide members with an expanded resource
where they can obtain comprehensive information and support on best
practices for adoption of necessary technologies for secure, direct
electronic connectivity to pharmacies and payer organizations."
During the next four years, Medicare is providing incentive payments to
eligible professionals who are successful electronic prescribers, as
defined by the Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA).
Eligible professionals receive a 2 percent incentive payment in 2009 and
2010; a 1 percent incentive payment in 2011 and 2012; and a 0.5 percent
incentive payment in 2013. Beginning January 1, 2009, those physicians
using a qualified system to send electronic prescriptions (at the rate
defined by MIPPA) started to receive higher levels of reimbursement under
Medicare. A qualified system must be able to do all of the following:
1. Generate a medication list
2. Select medications, transmit prescriptions electronically using the
applicable standards, and warn the physician of possible undesirable or
unsafe situations
3. Provide information on lower-cost, therapeutically appropriate
alternatives
4. Provide information on formulary or tiered formulary medications,
patient eligibility, and authorization requirements received
electronically from the patient's drug plan
Go to www.surescripts.com/certified to view a list of systems that have
been certified and the functionality for which they have been certified.
Physicians and other prescribers should check with their vendor to confirm
that their system is qualified under MIPPA guidelines and to request
activation of services that deliver the required functionality.
The focal point of the Get Connected program is an online portal --
www.GetRxConnected.org -- where physicians and other prescribers can follow
a step-by-step process designed to help them transition from paper-based
prescribing to e-prescribing. Since its launch in March 2008, the Get
Connected program has generated significant results:
-- Thousands of communications from participating medical societies to
their members promoting GetRxConnected.org and educating members on e-
prescribing
-- More than 6,800 completed technology assessments
-- More than 2,400 prescribers subsequently got connected
Electronic prescribing, or "e-prescribing," replaces the need for
handwritten, printed or faxed prescriptions and is seen as a more accurate
and efficient means of prescribing medications. Because it is paperless,
e-prescribing is also regarded as a secure alternative to paper
prescriptions that can be stolen, copied, forged and otherwise manipulated.
In addition to the AAOS, Get Connected is supported by the:
-- American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
-- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
-- American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
-- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
-- American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
-- American College of Cardiology (ACC)
-- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
-- American College of Physicians (ACP)
-- American Gastroenterological Association (AGA)
-- American Optometric Association (AOA)
-- American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
-- American Urological Association (AUA)
-- Connecticut State Medical Society
-- Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)
-- Tennessee State Medical Association
-- Texas Medical Association (TMA)
If you are a member of a state medical society or national provider
organization and would like to get more information about how your
membership can Get Connected for e-prescribing, please contact Kate Berry
(kate.berry@surescripts.com), executive director at The Center for
Improving Medication Management and senior vice president for business
development at Surescripts.
Created under the auspices of The Center for Improving Medication
Management (founded by the AAFP, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Humana
Inc., Intel Corporation, the MGMA and Surescripts), GetRxConnected.org
contains urgent information and guidance for thousands of physicians and
other prescribers located throughout the United States that are currently
using electronic medical record (EMR) and other clinical software to fax
prescriptions to pharmacies. Computer-generated faxing of prescriptions
prevents physicians and other prescribers from achieving the gains in
practice efficiency and patient safety associated with e-prescribing.
(Important Note to Physicians and Other Prescribers Using EMRs: Most EMR
users believe that they already send prescriptions to pharmacies
electronically -- i.e., they are unaware that it is far more likely that
their EMR is generating faxes that arrive on paper at the pharmacy's fax
machine. Physicians and other prescribers using EMR systems that can only
send computer-generated, faxed prescriptions will not be eligible for the
Medicare incentives for e-prescribing.)
How to Get Connected
Following the completion of a brief self-assessment on GetRxConnected.org,
physicians and their staffs can find out if the software brand and version
they are using is certified to generate e-prescriptions compliant with the
National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) SCRIPT standard, as
required by the new Medicare incentives. The SCRIPT standard facilitates
the electronic transmission of prescriptions and prescription-related
information.
The Get Connected program is equally intended for physicians, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants and practice management professionals
who have yet to invest in EMR or other clinical software. The portal
provides guidance on how to evaluate and acquire technology that supports
e-prescribing. GetRxConnected.org also helps physicians, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants and practice management professionals
assess the financial impact of e-prescribing using an interactive feature
that allows them to calculate an estimate of the time and resources their
practice is currently dedicating to the manual processing of prescriptions.
About AAOS
An orthopaedic surgeon is a physician with extensive training in the
diagnosis and non-surgical as well as surgical treatment of the
musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons,
muscles and nerves. With more than 35,000 members, the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons (www.aaos.org) or (www.orthoinfo.org) is the premier
not-for-profit organization that provides education programs for
orthopaedic surgeons and allied health professionals, champions the
interests of patients and advances the highest quality musculoskeletal
health. Orthopaedic surgeons and the Academy are the authoritative sources
of information for patients and the general public on musculoskeletal
conditions, treatments and related issues. An advocate for improved patient
care, the Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade
(www.usbjd.org) -- the global initiative in the years 2002-2011 -- to raise
awareness of musculoskeletal health, stimulate research and improve
people's quality of life.
About The Center for Improving Medication Management
The Center for Improving Medication Management is committed to
understanding how technology improves the way medications are prescribed
and used safely and effectively by millions of patients every day. The
Center was founded by the American Academy of Family Physicians, Blue Cross
Blue Shield Association, Humana Inc., Intel Corporation, the Medical Group
Management Association and Surescripts. For more information, visit
www.theCIMM.org.
Press Contacts:
Rob Cronin
For The Center for Improving Medication Management
917-414-5289
rob.cronin@surescripts.com
Lauren Pearson
AAOS Media Relations
847-384-4031
lpearson@aaos.org
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