Although 251,000 physicians and other eligible professionals have received more than $2.6 million in payments in stage 1 of CMS' Electronic Health Record Incentive Program, many physicians deferred stage 1 objectives that relate to interoperability — the focus of stage 2 meaningful use, according to an American Medical News report.
According to data made available by CMS at an October virtual briefing hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, the deferred objectives relate to getting patients to look at their paperless records and exchanging data with others.
In stage 1, physicians had to prove, or attest, that they could meet at least five of 10 designated menu objectives. They could defer the rest to stage 2, when the tasks would become mandatory and, in some cases, carry higher thresholds for compliance.
The six most commonly deferred objectives include the following:
• Providing a summary of care to patients at transitions to other physicians or hospitals — 84 percent
• Using the EHR to send reminders to specific groups of patients about preventive care — 80 percent
• Sending information to public health agencies or syndromic surveillance — 68 percent
• Being able to give patients electronic access to their records — 66 percent
• Checking drug formularies — 15 percent
• Generating patient lists — 25 percent
According to the report, since the objectives most often deferred connect to interoperability, it is possible that meeting stage 2 will be more difficult for some physicians.
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Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records: Does it Improve Health Outcomes?
According to data made available by CMS at an October virtual briefing hosted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, the deferred objectives relate to getting patients to look at their paperless records and exchanging data with others.
In stage 1, physicians had to prove, or attest, that they could meet at least five of 10 designated menu objectives. They could defer the rest to stage 2, when the tasks would become mandatory and, in some cases, carry higher thresholds for compliance.
The six most commonly deferred objectives include the following:
• Providing a summary of care to patients at transitions to other physicians or hospitals — 84 percent
• Using the EHR to send reminders to specific groups of patients about preventive care — 80 percent
• Sending information to public health agencies or syndromic surveillance — 68 percent
• Being able to give patients electronic access to their records — 66 percent
• Checking drug formularies — 15 percent
• Generating patient lists — 25 percent
According to the report, since the objectives most often deferred connect to interoperability, it is possible that meeting stage 2 will be more difficult for some physicians.
More Articles on Meaningful Use Objectives:
3 Ways Hospitals Can Optimize the Stage 1 to Stage 2 Meaningful Use TransitionThe Road to Stage 2 Meaningful Use: Q&A With CMS' Office of E-Health Standards & Services Director Elizabeth Holland
Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records: Does it Improve Health Outcomes?