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.
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.
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Labels: CPOE, EHRIP, Electronic health care regulations and compliance, Health IT Policy Commitee, Meaningful Use, Stage 2
