Interesting article at InformationWeek discussing Meaningful Use requirements.

With Meaningful Use Stage 2 requirements just around the corner, a CSC report says IT managers should prepare with a more robust system that addresses care coordination and patient engagement.

With the whole reason for the emphasis on installing the infrastructure to collect and share patient care information to provide a path towards better/safer patient care we need to make sure we are ready for the follow up of Meaningful Use Stage 1. If you haven’t started implementing an EMR/EHR Solution in your practice you are going to want to investigate what is available to you.

InformationWeek’s writer Nicole Lewis wrote:

Health IT executives at hospitals and physicians' offices should start working now to implement technology that fosters greater patient engagement, enhances patient care coordination, and advances their organizations' ability to electronically capture data for quality reporting--all three of which providers will need to compete in the upcoming pay-for-performance market. That's the conclusion of a new report published by CSC's Global Institute for Emerging Healthcare Practice.

Table 1 — Summary of Requirements for Stage 1 and Proposed Changes for Stage 2.

Requirement	Stage 1 Minimum Requirement	Stage 2 Minimum Requirement
Maintain medication, problem/ diagnosis, allergy lists	80% of patients have an entry or indication of none	No change
Demographics recorded	50% of patients	80% of patients
Vital signs recorded	50% of patients over 2	80% of patients over 3
Smoking status recorded	50% of patients over 13	80% of patients over 13
Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE)	30% of patients have a medication order	60% of patients have a medication and a lab order; at least one radiology order placed
Info on advanced directive	Menu option for hospitals — indicate if patent has advanced directive for 50% of hospitalized patients 65+	Expanded to include 25 patients for eligible providers; add information on how to access the directive
Drug-drug and drug-allergy checking	Enabled	Added capability to modify drug-drug checking
Drug-formulary checking	Menu option	Required
Medication reconciliation	Menu option, performed for 50%	Required
Requirement	Stage 1 Minimum Requirement	Stage 2 Minimum Requirement
e-Prescribing	40% of prescriptions for eligible providers	50% of prescriptions for eligible providers, 10% of discharged patients for hospitals
Summary of care record transmitted between providers at transitions in care	Menu option, performed for 50% of transitions (can be on paper)	Required, added that must be electronic for 10% of hospitalized patients; 25 patient transitions for office practice
Searchable physician (NP, PA) note	No requirement	30% of hospital days, 30% of ambulatory visits
Secure messaging	No requirement	25 patients have sent messages to eligible providers
Electronic medication administration	No requirement	One hospital unit
Encounter summaries	50% of office visits within 3 days	Changed timing to 24 hours, pending results within 4 days
Electronic copies of discharge instructions	50% of hospital patients who request it	Replaced by requirement that 10% of patients have used the capability to access and download their information
Electronic copies of health information	50% of patients who request it
Incorporate lab information as structured data	Menu option, 40% of patients	Required, hospitals must return electronic lab orders as structured data
Provide patient educational materials	Menu option, 10% of appropriate patients	Required, 10% of all patients
Send reminders for preventive, follow-up care	Menu option for office visits; 20% of patients under 5 or over 65	Required, 10% of all patients
Patients have access to their information	10% of patients have access to view information for office visits	10% of patients have used the capability to access and download their information and 20% have communication preferences stated
Electronically exchange patient information	Perform one test	Replaced by specific requirements
Decision support rule	One rule	Use to improve performance
Lists of patients for quality improvement	Menu option, one list	Required, multiple lists
Report clinical quality measures	Specified measures	Expanded list
Submit immunization data	Menu option, perform one test	Required, submit data
Submit reportable lab results (hospitals only)	Menu option for hospitals, perform one test	Required for hospitals, submit data
Submit syndromic surveillance data	Menu option, perform one test	Required for hospitals, submit data
Conduct security analysis	Conduct analysis	Expanded to include encryption of data at rest

To see the full article click on this link: http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/clinical-systems/232600583

For more information on Allscripts MyWay Electronic Medical Records product please don’t hesitate calling me at 1-800-640-7506 and ask for Bob Appleby. I will be more than happy to discuss the product and provide you with information on how you can implement this solution in your practice. One of the first questions I am asked is whether anyone has received payments yet. It has been reported that $2.5 billion was paid out for meaningful use in 2011. Stage 2 requirements are being drawn up now as you see in the table above but they have not been finalized as of this date. You need to be proactive and should be focusing on providing capabilities for engaging patients, coordinating care and capturing the data for quality reporting. These requirements are essential for qualifying for meaningful use payments and for new CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) payment incentives and for succeeding under accountable care.