jmj11 Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 This is one of the reasons I started doubting the AAPA. I emailed them about this and never got an answer. There was a response in one of the PA journals that AAPA "assumed" that PAs would be part of the incentive program because of their relationship with doctors. Then, they tried to fix it and CMS only partially fixed it for PAs who are in rural clinics AND are the main provider. So, I still do not qualify, but we do not have EHR's yet either, so it doesn't matter for me yet. But, I was enraged that AAPA was negligent, IMHO, and this has hurt the PA profession. Does anyone know if this incentive money is ongoing? We start EHR in about 6 months and I will be really irritated then if I work my butt off for nothing. The program is ongoing, but unless you are a PA in the situation you described above (and that is still pending), you must do all the work, you must jump through all the hoops of EHR (about 80% compliance in 17 areas of EHR use) and if you don't do the work, you will sink the whole practice . . . yet you get zero credit in the end. You billings are invisible to Medicare and the incentive payments are based on billings. The incentive money can only be paid to the physician (or in some cases the NP). PAs got really screwed in the bill . . . badly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I hear some practices rewarded the physicians with the incentive payments, and PAs got screwed on that one too by their own employers because they refused to share the incentives. Maybe it was illegal to give the incentives to the PA...I don't know all the laws on the incentive payments. Are you telling me the "fix" for this still hasn't been finalized? We have a way that might work for me to be an Eligible Provider (EP) since I am the supervisor over our maternal child health program, and see all the kids for their well childs, sports physicals, babies, post-partum moms, and nearly 100% are either on medicare programs or state chip program. I have not yet asked our medical director to clarify and am in the process of trying to clarify it myself. Plus we are an FQHC clinic so not sure how that plays into the equation. I'm not joining AAPA this year and never again, for a variety of reasons including the "assuming" stance. You know what that makes us. It also means to me that the AMA or physicians did not bother to ask about our ability to be EPs and it is probably because we are just assistants, are dependent providers, and cannot think or practice on our own in the minds of many people and CMS. The debacle should have been a GREAT BIG RED FLAG to the AAPA that something needed to change, and they were color blind and remain that way, deliberately. I'm off my rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj11 Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I hear some practices rewarded the physicians with the incentive payments, and PAs got screwed on that one too by their own employers because they refused to share the incentives. Maybe it was illegal to give the incentives to the PA...I don't know all the laws on the incentive payments. Are you telling me the "fix" for this still hasn't been finalized? We have a way that might work for me to be an Eligible Provider (EP) since I am the supervisor over our maternal child health program, and see all the kids for their well childs, sports physicals, babies, post-partum moms, and nearly 100% are either on medicare programs or state chip program. I have not yet asked our medical director to clarify and am in the process of trying to clarify it myself. Plus we are an FQHC clinic so not sure how that plays into the equation. I'm not joining AAPA this year and never again, for a variety of reasons including the "assuming" stance. You know what that makes us. It also means to me that the AMA or physicians did not bother to ask about our ability to be EPs and it is probably because we are just assistants, are dependent providers, and cannot think or practice on our own in the minds of many people and CMS. The debacle should have been a GREAT BIG RED FLAG to the AAPA that something needed to change, and they were color blind and remain that way, deliberately. I'm off my rant. The checks must be written to the physician. He/she can do whatever they want with the money. I put in it in my SP's contract that all incentive money made out to him, gets turned over to me directly. Actually, because Medicare assumes that he owns the practice made our incentive payments to the practice bank account (direct deposit). We got hurt because they didn't count the hundreds of Medicare patients I follow, but only his 20. The fix would only apply to PAs who direct qualified RHCs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelseff Posted January 23, 2013 Author Share Posted January 23, 2013 I see we have may kinds of "dishes" at our practices. I am taking a short break from "bustin' suds" right now. Had a couple appts cancel and was able to knockout 10 notes.....back to work. Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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