ANAHEIM, Calif., March 17, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American College of Medical Scribe Specialists (ACMSS) reminds healthcare professionals to attest for the Electronic Health Records Incentive Program before the deadline this Friday.
Also, ACMSS announced its first specialty exam in ophthalmology.
"We are pleased that Certified Medical Scribe Specialists (CMSS) now qualify in the outpatient specialty of ophthalmology to handle Certified Provider Order Entry (CPOE) towards meeting the MU measures," said ACMSS President and CEO Kristin Hagen. "We expect to add more specialties in the future."
To qualify for EHR incentives for the 2014 reporting year, eligible professionals have until 11:59 pm ET on March 20, 2015, to attest to "meaningful use" of electronic health records.
Thereafter those who don't use the program will face penalties. "Beginning in 2015, eligible professionals who do not successfully demonstrate meaningful use will be subject to a payment adjustment. The payment reduction starts at 1% and increases each year that an eligible professional does not demonstrate meaningful use, to a maximum of 5%," according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Use of medical scribes can count toward that "meaningful use" requirement.
By documenting and inputting medical records, medical scribes allow healthcare providers to focus on why they got into practice in the first place -- to take care of their patients. In addition to real-time documentation, medical scribes increase practice efficiencies in several areas, including billing, patient record organization, insurance, and patient care both inside and outside of the exam room.
About ACMSS
The American College of Medical Scribe Specialists, formerly known as The American College of Clinical Information Managers, is the nation's only nonprofit professional society representing more than 15,000 Medical Scribes in over 1300 medical institutions. ACMSS partners with academic institutions, vocational training organizations, and medical scribe corporations to offer both education-to-certification and employment-to-certification pathways. ACMSS advances the needs of the medical scribe industry through certification, MSCAT development, public advocacy, and continuing education. To learn more about ACMSS, please visit: www.theacmss.org.