What is Meaningful Use?
Meaningful Use is the "qualifier" that determines whether a healthcare organization is eligible for financial incentives from the government under ARRA and HITECH.
The core components of Meaningful Use are:
In a simpler way to understand, healthcare providers showing they are using certified EHR applications in qualitative and quantitative means defines Meaningful Use. Meaningful Use as intended by the United States Government include improved care coordination, reduction in health conditions/diseases, engaging and involving patients and their families (in hopes to looking after their personal well-being and prevention), improve population and public health, all while ensuring the utmost security and confidentiality.
By demonstrating Meaningful Use, payouts from the federal government in three stages (until 2015) are to occur as long as providers—under the Medicare EHR Incentive program demonstrate correct usage of a certified EHR and met criteria for meaningful use (objectives and clinical quality measures). For the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, a comparable process takes place but can vary per state. In the preliminary, it may seem like a lot of work, but the payoff in the long run is highly beneficial for all parties.
Eligible Professional Meaningful Use Core Measures:
1. Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) for Medication Orders
2. Drug Interaction Checks
3. Maintain Problem List of current and active diagnoses.
4. Generate and Transmit Permissible Prescriptions Electronically (e-Prescribing).
5. Maintain an Active Medication List.
6. Maintain an Active Allergy List.
7. Record Patient Demographics.
8. Record Patient Vital Signs.
9. Record Smoking Status.
10. Report Clinical Quality Measures to CMS.
11. Implement one Clinical Decision Support Rule.
12. Provide patients with an Electronic Copy of their Health Information upon request.
13. Provide Clinical Summaries for patients for each office visit.
14. Electronic Exchange of Clinical Information.
15. Protect Electronic Health Information (through implementation of appropriate technical capabilities).
Eligible Professional Meaningful Use Menu Set Measures:
1. Implement Drug Formulary Checks.
2. Incorporate Clinical Lab Test Results into EHR.
3. Generate Patient Lists by specific conditions to use for quality improvement, reduction of disparities, research, and outreach.
4. Send Patient Reminders per patient preference for preventive/ follow-up care.
5. Provide patients with timely electronic access to their health information (including lab results, problem list, medication lists, and allergies).
6. Use certified EHR to identify Patient-specific Education Resources and provide to patient if appropriate.
7. Perform Medication Reconciliation as necessary.
8. Provide Summary Care Record for transitions in care or referrals.
9. Capability to submit electronic data to Immunization Registries and actual submission.
10. Capability to provide electronic Syndromic Surveillance Data to public health agencies and actual submission.
A historic turning point in healthcare in the United States, the EHR Meaningful Use incentive program will play a huge part in ensuring:
• Improved care for patients
• Simpler care to provide by providers
• Improved healthcare costs and overall quality in the long run throughout the US.
In addition, there will be less clutter from paper charts in officer spaces, environmental awareness ( go green!) a more smooth and modernized workflow, and generally a better care for patients due to better access of their information.
The core components of Meaningful Use are:
- The use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, such as e-Prescribing.
- The use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of health care.
- The use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality and other measures.
In a simpler way to understand, healthcare providers showing they are using certified EHR applications in qualitative and quantitative means defines Meaningful Use. Meaningful Use as intended by the United States Government include improved care coordination, reduction in health conditions/diseases, engaging and involving patients and their families (in hopes to looking after their personal well-being and prevention), improve population and public health, all while ensuring the utmost security and confidentiality.
By demonstrating Meaningful Use, payouts from the federal government in three stages (until 2015) are to occur as long as providers—under the Medicare EHR Incentive program demonstrate correct usage of a certified EHR and met criteria for meaningful use (objectives and clinical quality measures). For the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program, a comparable process takes place but can vary per state. In the preliminary, it may seem like a lot of work, but the payoff in the long run is highly beneficial for all parties.
Eligible Professional Meaningful Use Core Measures:
1. Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) for Medication Orders
2. Drug Interaction Checks
3. Maintain Problem List of current and active diagnoses.
4. Generate and Transmit Permissible Prescriptions Electronically (e-Prescribing).
5. Maintain an Active Medication List.
6. Maintain an Active Allergy List.
7. Record Patient Demographics.
8. Record Patient Vital Signs.
9. Record Smoking Status.
10. Report Clinical Quality Measures to CMS.
11. Implement one Clinical Decision Support Rule.
12. Provide patients with an Electronic Copy of their Health Information upon request.
13. Provide Clinical Summaries for patients for each office visit.
14. Electronic Exchange of Clinical Information.
15. Protect Electronic Health Information (through implementation of appropriate technical capabilities).
Eligible Professional Meaningful Use Menu Set Measures:
1. Implement Drug Formulary Checks.
2. Incorporate Clinical Lab Test Results into EHR.
3. Generate Patient Lists by specific conditions to use for quality improvement, reduction of disparities, research, and outreach.
4. Send Patient Reminders per patient preference for preventive/ follow-up care.
5. Provide patients with timely electronic access to their health information (including lab results, problem list, medication lists, and allergies).
6. Use certified EHR to identify Patient-specific Education Resources and provide to patient if appropriate.
7. Perform Medication Reconciliation as necessary.
8. Provide Summary Care Record for transitions in care or referrals.
9. Capability to submit electronic data to Immunization Registries and actual submission.
10. Capability to provide electronic Syndromic Surveillance Data to public health agencies and actual submission.
A historic turning point in healthcare in the United States, the EHR Meaningful Use incentive program will play a huge part in ensuring:
• Improved care for patients
• Simpler care to provide by providers
• Improved healthcare costs and overall quality in the long run throughout the US.
In addition, there will be less clutter from paper charts in officer spaces, environmental awareness ( go green!) a more smooth and modernized workflow, and generally a better care for patients due to better access of their information.