The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a final rule modifying its 2011 eRx Incentive Program, which required physicians to adopt an electronic prescribing system by June of 2011, or face a Medicare Part B penalty in 2012.

ASCO was one of the many organizations to comment on this rule, prompting CMS to release a modification to the program. Physicians now have additional time to request an exemption from the 2012 Medicare Part B payment penalty. CMS also introduced new exemption categories, which include:

• Eligible professionals who register to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs and adopt Certified EHR Technology

• Inability to electronically prescribe due to local, State, or Federal law or regulation (e.g., physicians who prescribe large amounts of narcotics)

• Limited prescribing activity

• Insufficient opportunities to report the eRx measure due to limitations of the measure's denominator

To request an exemption, individual eligible professionals must submit their request by Nov. 1 via a web-based tool.

More information regarding the modifications to the incentive program can be found here.