> Can you win the pool? Consulting firm IDExperts has launched a Final Countdown Contest Pool to see if someone can predict when the final HIPAA "mega rule" will be published in the Federal Register. Players predict the day, month and year that the rule is published, as well as its page count. The winner receives a $200 Amazon gift card, among other things; the company also donates $2,500 in the winner's name to the Wounded Warrior Project. Announcement
> Physicians who wish to avoid the 2013 penalty under the e-prescribing incentive program need to file for a hardship exemption by June 30 or successfully e-prescribe at least 10 prescriptions of Medicare patients by then, the American Medical Association warns. The penalty for not e-prescribing rises from 1 percent of a physician's Medicare Part B Payments in 2012 to 1.5 percent in 2013. Physicians cannot attain the incentive under both the e-prescribing and the Meaningful Use programs in the same year, but those participating in the latter program can still be assessed the e-prescribing penalty. Alert (.pdf)
> Physicians participating in California's Medi-Cal program have attained more than $7 million in incentive payments for having completed Medi-Cal's Adopt, Upgrade and Implementation process, according to the California Health Information Partnership & Services Organization (CalHIPSO), the largest regional extension center in the United States. Announcement
And Finally... Is nothing exempt from fraud? Article