Workgroup begins work on Stage 2 of meaningful use rules

By Jean DerGurahian, News Writer

27 Sep 2010 | SearchHealthIT.com

The first stage of meaningful use rules haven't taken effect yet, but policymakers already are turning their attention to the second and third stages of the program designed to encourage the greater adoption of information technology among health care providers.

More on the meaningful use rules

Criteria for meaningful use of EHR

How EHR standards align with meaningful use

On Sept. 22, the Meaningful Use Workgroup of the federal Health IT Policy Committee held the first of two day-long brainstorming sessions that signal the beginning of work to draft the criteria doctors and hospitals will follow after 2012, when Stage 2 is set to begin.

Expect a lot more discourse on such issues as computerized physician order entry (CPOE), drug interactions indicators, advance directives, and quality measures and clinical decision support. While the workgroup is delving into ways to extend current meaningful use rules and develop new ones, those areas in particular were questioned deeply.

Under the federal Electronic Health Record Incentive Program (EHRIP), Medicare and Medicaid providers demonstrate they are meeting meaningful use rules and are eligible for incentive payments. The five-year program is voluntary, but providers that don't demonstrate they have adopted and are using health IT after 2015 will see cuts in their reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees EHRIP. The policy committee is run by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, or ONC, which works in conjunction with CMS on meaningful use and technology standards.

[Continue Reading on SearchHealthIT.com]

No vendor is perfect on 'meaningful use,' report concludes

June 08, 2009 | Bernie Monegain, Editor

OREM, UT – Even as the healthcare IT industry awaits the official definition of "meaningful use" from the federal government, a new report from KLAS examines which electronic medical record products should fit that description.

The report, "Meaningful Use Leading to Improved Outcomes," assesses how well core clinical vendors are delivering solutions for CPOE, nursing automation, medication administration and other key areas.

Nine EMR vendors are profiled in the report: Cerner, CPSI, Eclipsys, Epic, GE, McKesson, Meditech, QuadraMed and Siemens.

"Since the introduction of the stimulus package and its provisions for health IT, much of the market rhetoric and industry debate has centered on the concept of meaningful use – what will it entail and how will it impact the receipt of stimulus dollars," said KLAS Founder and Chairman Kent Gale. "Whatever the final definition of the term, if improved patient outcomes are indeed the ultimate goal, then some form of clinician adoption will be critical."

"In particular, deep adoption among physicians is pivotal to the overarching success of an EMR implementation," Gale said. [Continue Reading]