What Meaningful Use Means for Pharmacy
Pharmacists also have opportunities to help eligible professionals meet meaningful-use objectives and obtain greater reimbursement. Hospitals and eligible professionals are currently the only entities that qualify for financial incentives. "Eligible professionals" are doctors of medicine, osteopathy, dental surgery, dental medicine, podiatric medicine, optometry, and chiropractors. Doctors of pharmacy are not considered eligible professionals. Current legislation prevents pharmacists from obtaining incentives, because they are omitted from Section 1861 of the Social Security Act as licensed independent providers and, therefore, cannot qualify for direct Medicare Part B reimbursement for any medication-related service.
Many of the clinical quality measures outlined for eligible professionals are directly associated with evidenced-based prescribing and disease state management. Extensive literature has been published to show that physician–pharmacist collaborative management of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and anticoagulation therapy improves patient outcomes. Clinic-based pharmacists work with prescribers to achieve goal glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in patients with diabetes, improve blood pressures in patients with congestive heart failure, and guide appropriate therapy selection for patients with asthma. These are only a few examples of how pharmacists can help prescribers achieve future quality benchmarks. It is important to note that physicians practicing in hospital-based ambulatory care clinics may qualify for financial incentives, separate from the institution, if they provide more than 10% of services outside the inpatient and emergency room setting. This gives pharmacists the opportunity to increase reimbursement for each provider who meets eligible professional criteria.
Ambulatory Care
Pharmacists also have opportunities to help eligible professionals meet meaningful-use objectives and obtain greater reimbursement. Hospitals and eligible professionals are currently the only entities that qualify for financial incentives. "Eligible professionals" are doctors of medicine, osteopathy, dental surgery, dental medicine, podiatric medicine, optometry, and chiropractors. Doctors of pharmacy are not considered eligible professionals. Current legislation prevents pharmacists from obtaining incentives, because they are omitted from Section 1861 of the Social Security Act as licensed independent providers and, therefore, cannot qualify for direct Medicare Part B reimbursement for any medication-related service.
Many of the clinical quality measures outlined for eligible professionals are directly associated with evidenced-based prescribing and disease state management. Extensive literature has been published to show that physician–pharmacist collaborative management of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and anticoagulation therapy improves patient outcomes. Clinic-based pharmacists work with prescribers to achieve goal glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in patients with diabetes, improve blood pressures in patients with congestive heart failure, and guide appropriate therapy selection for patients with asthma. These are only a few examples of how pharmacists can help prescribers achieve future quality benchmarks. It is important to note that physicians practicing in hospital-based ambulatory care clinics may qualify for financial incentives, separate from the institution, if they provide more than 10% of services outside the inpatient and emergency room setting. This gives pharmacists the opportunity to increase reimbursement for each provider who meets eligible professional criteria.