Currently, eligible physicians are required to complete a minimum of ten (10) electronic prescriptions via an electronic prescribing system between January 1 and June 30, 2011 or they will be facing a 1% Medicare payment reduction in 2012.
The May 26th 2011 Federal Register released a CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) "proposed" rule allowing a second chance to physicians to avoid the penalty by claiming a hardship exemption. The proposed rule includes additional opportunities to claim a hardship exemption and extends the deadline from June 30, 2011 to October 1, 2011.
Under the proposed rule, physicians who do not meet the e-prescribing requirements have the opportunity to claim one of the following hardship exemptions through a special CMS website By Oct. 1.