Meaningful Use

The HITECH Act outlined the intended plans for the adoption of electronic health records through meaningful use. The CMS Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive programs have evolved into three stages of meaningful use with their own goals, priorities, and their own final rule. Meaningful use means “providers need to show they’re using certified EHR technology in ways that can be measured significantly in quality and in quantity.”

On October 6, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released final rules that simplify requirements and add new flexibilities for providers to make electronic health information available when and where it matters most and for health care providers and consumers to be able to readily, safely, and securely exchange that information. The final rule for 2015 Edition Health IT Certification Criteria (2015 Edition) and final rule with comment period for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Incentive Programs will help continue to move the health care industry away from a paper-based system, where a doctor’s handwriting needed to be interpreted and patient files could be misplaced.

To help eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) successfully participate in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs in 2015, CMS has posted new resources on the CMS EHR Incentive Programs website.

• Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals/CAHs: What You Need to Know for 2015
• Overview of the EHR Incentive Programs in 2015-2017
• What’s Changed for the EHR Incentive Programs in 2015-2017
• Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals/CAHs Attestation Worksheets
• Alternate Exclusions and Specifications Fact Sheet
• Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals/CAHs Objectives and Measures Tables
• Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals/CAHs Specification Sheets

HITECH Answers Webcast

On November 11, 2015, HITECH Answers hosted an educational webcast on the rules. The event features experts Jim Tate and Roberta Mullin discussing the Final Rule for Stage 3 meaningful Use and modifying Stage 2. Watch the video recording.