Q. We understand we can't collect both the e-prescribing (e-Rx) and the electronic health records (EHR) incentive payments as that is considered double dipping. We'd like to know if we could report the PQRI measures and take part in either the e-prescribing or EHR incentive programs.

Summary: You and your peers are increasingly confident in billing higher-level E/M codes, according to a Part B News analysis of the latest CMS claims data. This chart shows the percentage utilization codes 99214 and 99215 out of all utilization in the 99211-92215 code series from 2006 to 2008.

Correction: A Jan. 25 story on Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) targets should have stated Connolly Healthcare is only approved to review outpatient hospital claims billing J0152 (Adenosine injection, $80.92). The original story had mentioned J0150 (injection adenosine, 6 mg, $10.20), but CMS has since clarified the RAC will only target J0152.

CMS has named the three national accreditation organizations that will accredit providers of advanced imaging services, the agency said in a Jan. 28 news release.

You will receive a denial for an E/M service when it is billed on the same day the patient receives the "Welcome to Medicare" visit unless you attach modifier 25 (significant, separately identifiable E/M service) to the E/M code.

You now have an easy way of finding out whether your providers will face numerous claim rejections after April 5, when CMS will begin cracking down on claims submitted by ordering/referring providers who aren't enrolled or up-to-date in its online Provider Enrollment Chain Ownership System (PECOS). Remember: It's not just your providers who must be enrolled and updated. Any providers sending you orders and/or referrals must be as well, or you'll get claims rejections (PBN 12/14/09).

The Senate approved $82 billion to avoid draconian cuts to your Medicare payments for the next five years, but Congress still needs to pass legislation to nullify a 21% cut scheduled for March 1. Time is running out for Congress to act. Federal lawmakers are scheduled to go on break the week of Feb. 15, leaving just a handful of legislative days to pass a Medicare pay fix before March 1.

Stricter audit standards and a new way to measure errors led to a big increase in the number of mistakes made by you and your peers uncovered on audit, according to CMS's latest error rate findings. The Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) error rate dramatically increased to 7.8% in 2009, CMS says in its latest Comprehensive Error Rate Test (CERT) report.

It won't be the end of the world or the end of your shot to get $44,000 of government incentive money if you can't demonstrate meaningful use with an electronic health records (EHR) system by the end of 2011. You can still demonstrate meaningful use for any 90 days in 2012 and collect up to $18,000 of bonus money, the most possible in the first reporting year. This leaves Oct. 1, 2012 as the drop-dead deadline for a chance to get the entire $44,000 - a year longer than previously reported.