Phase 4

The following information is one part of POSP's Program Guidelines. Please reference the complete guidelines as needed.

1. The guidelines in this section apply to physicians who are implementing a VCUR 2008 EMR solution provided by a QSP.

2. Each eligible physician implementing a VCUR 2008 EMR solution is eligible for a maximum reimbursement from POSP of up to $35,000 (70% of $50,000), including GST, per physician unit. The cost is calculated over a five-year period starting from the date of Milestone 1 (Contract Signing) (as defined in the “Administration Requirements for VCUR 2008 Invoice-based Reimbursement”). The reimbursement maximum of $35,000 comprises:

a. One-time costs – Each physician is eligible for 70% reimbursement of one-time cost invoices to a maximum of $14,000 (70% of $20,000), including GST.

b. Recurring costs – Each physician is eligible for up to 70% reimbursement of the recurring cost invoices up to a maximum of the remaining contract amount (i.e., total eligible contract amount less total eligible one-time costs).

3. Reimbursement is subject to the “Administration Requirements for VCUR 2008 Invoice-based Reimbursement” as described.

4. A physician may choose to change his/her declared clinic. The physician must submit a new Direct Deposit Information Form and a Change Request Form. In these situations:

a. Eligibility for receiving the maximum $35,000 reimbursement does not change.

b. The physician may carry any remaining eligible reimbursement amounts forward to the next declared clinic with a VCUR 2008 EMR solution, if any (i.e., $35,000 less any VCUR 2008 reimbursement received to date).

c. POSP is not responsible for reimbursement of any additional costs associated with existing agreements between the departing physician and the clinic and/or vendor that he/she is leaving.

5. POSP will reimburse a physician only for invoices received from their QSP and for the declared clinic EMR solution.

6. The vendor quotes and purchase orders that form part of the Physician Vendor Agreement must be reviewed and accepted by POSP prior to physician signing.

7. To remain eligible for POSP funding, physicians are required to maintain a valid contract with their QSP.

8. The transition allowance is available to provide financial support for physicians currently using an EMR who transition from their current EMR to one of the VCUR 2008 EMR solutions offered by a QSP (as defined in the “ Administration Requirements for VCUR 2008 Invoice-Based Reimbursement”). Guidelines for the transition allowance are included in the “Transition Allowance Guidelines” section as described.

9. A physician not currently enrolled in POSP who joins an existing clinic that has already completed implementation of a VCUR 2008 EMR solution is also eligible for the invoice-based reimbursement amounts described in this section.

10. If a physician leaves a clinic in the middle of a transition to a VCUR 2008 EMR solution, the physician and the clinic must determine who is responsible for the remaining costs of the solution. This is based on either the physician/clinic exit agreement or the physician/vendor agreement.

a. If the physician assumes liability for remaining one-time costs as milestones are achieved, POSP will honour that commitment and reimburse the physician for remaining milestones achieved.

b. The physician may use the remainder of their available funding to implement a VCUR 2008 EMR solution at another clinic (to a maximum of $35,000, including GST).

11. Physicians within a clinic must designate a physician to act as the implementation lead. This designate is responsible for communicating progress and issues to all physicians in the clinic and for signing off on the achievement of milestones. The designate must participate in each milestone meeting through to the end of Milestone 5 (Final Implementation Status Review), and is required to participate in periodic meetings through to the end of the five-year contract period.

12. The MSA states that QSPs may not increase prices within two years of their qualification date. Thereafter, they may increase prices up to Alberta Consumer Price Index (CPI) once per year. The POSP maximum reimbursement amount will not be modified to reflect CPI changes through the five-year timeframe. The qualification date for each QSP is as follows:

a. MD Physician Services – January 15, 2010

b. Med Access – November 27, 2009

c. Wolf Medical Systems – November 16, 2009

13. Each QSP’s VCUR 2008 EMR solution comprises a list of eligible items to be delivered that combined form the EMR solution (see “VCUR 2008 Eligible Items”). The physician and vendor can negotiate minor changes to the QSP’s proposed VCUR 2008 EMR solutions, based on the following conditions:

a. Line item substitutions – Substitutions to one-time cost line items in the EMR solution can be made under the following conditions:

i. The substitution provides equal or greater capability to the item being substituted, as agreed upon by POSP.

ii. The total cost for all EMR solution line items calculated within a given category in the pricing (i.e., software, services, recurring fees) cannot exceed the maximum MSA-quoted price cap for that category.

b. Additional items eligible for POSP reimbursement – Cost items that are not identified in list of eligible items in the MSA but are identified by POSP as being of benefit to a physician or required by a physician as part of an EMR solution are eligible for reimbursement of 70% of the cost of the additional eligible item as long as the total POSP maximum reimbursement amount identified in these guidelines is not exceeded. While physicians may purchase a system that exceeds $50,000, POSP will not reimburse more than $14,000 (70% of $20,000), including GST, for one-time costs and $35,000 (70% of $50,000), including GST, for the total solution. Guidelines for these additional items are outlined in the section “VCUR 2008 Additional Eligible Items.”

c. Additional items not eligible for POSP reimbursement – Additional items identified by the physician for inclusion in the EMR solution that are not identified in the list of eligible items in the MSA and are not identified as eligible for reimbursement by POSP should be identified separately in the vendor price quote. The cost of these items are 100% the responsibility of the physician. Guidelines for these items are outlined in the section “VCUR 2008 Additional Eligible Items.”