Crystal Practice Management is committed to being up-to-date with the latest features and government requirements for Electronic Medical/Health Records and Practice Management standards.

We have received several questions about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), also known as the Obama Stimulus package.

Hopefully this webpage will help clear up the situation.

In the current state of the ARRA there are a lot of unresolved criteria that will need to be straightened out prior to any stimulus package reaching optometric offices.

ARRA Facts:

·         Electronic Health Records are a priority in the stimulus package.

·         Optometrists that use certified Electronic Health Records will have financial incentives.

·         There is currently no specified certification for Optometry Electronic Health Records.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) 2009 – The Basics:

For more information on  reimbursement plan visit:

http://waysandmeans.house.gov/media/pdf/111/hitech.pdf

Unresolved Criteria:

The Department of Health and Human Services is the agency currently in charge of finalizing the details to receive the stimulus package. The two main details to be determined are the certification and  amount of incentives.

• Certified EHR

The bill leaves the definition of a certified EHR to the Department of Health and Human Services and requires this to be defined by Dec. 31, 2009.

Most software companies and organizations believe this to be CCHIT, but this is not guaranteed.

Currently there is also no CCHIT certification for Eye Care Professionals, and it will not be available until 2011.

• Amount of Incentive

The bill specifies the maximum amount (chart above) of incentive payments that a professional may receive but not the criteria or formula on how the payment will be determined. It is reasonable to assume not every provider will qualify for the maximum payment.

What is CCHIT and their role?

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is a nonprofit

organization working in Eye Care with the AAO, ASCRS, and AOA to set up criteria for certifying software for their discipline.

Currently CCHIT is only certifying health records for ambulatory, inpatient, emergency departments, and Health Information Exchanges.

The current timeline for Eye Care certification is Research in 2009, Starting Development in 2010, and Launching Certification in 2011.

The official timeline can be found in .pdf format on the CCHIT Web site at

http://www.cchit.org/files/Expansion/CCHITExpansionRoadmapDRAFT20090115.pdf

As CCHIT will not have the certification until 2011, it is possible the Department of HHS will define an alternative criteria, which we will monitor.

What should your practice do to take advantage of the ARRA incentives?

• If you already have Crystal Practice Management in place and use our Electronic Health Records – know we are monitoring the situation and will ensure our software will be certified as soon as certification criteria is determined and available.

• If you do not have an EHR yet, we highly recommend you visit Crystal Practice Management www.crystalpm.com and request a demo or contact us for a free online walkthrough. If you use a different software, contact them and monitor the Department of HHS for details on certification.