Eligible professionals (EPs) must successfully e-prescribe for Medicare patients 10 times before June 30, 2011 using claims-based reporting to avoid the penalty in 2012. Earning the e-prescribing incentive for 2011 will not necessarily exempt an EP or group practice from the 1 percent penalty starting on January 1, 2012. For 2013, the 1.5 percent penalty is based on whether the EP successfully e-prescribes for 25 Medicare patients during 2011 using claims-based, registry or EHR reporting methods. Even if the EP attests to being a meaningful user of their EHR in 2011 (a program that includes an e-prescribing requirement), they must still separately submit a minimum of 10 e-prescriptions on claims by the end of June.
