5 Important Meaningful Use Stage 2 Changes July 2, 2013 EHR, Physician Resource, Technology stage 2, erx, meaningful use 0 Meaningful Use Stage 2 is quickly approaching. While Stage 1 was focused on getting EHRs installed and assisting providers to adjust to the new workflows, Stage 2 will add many more requirements that are intended to get providers to actively use their EHRs for patient health management, as well as getting patients more involved in their own care, such as the use of patient portals. Below are five of the most important things to keep in mind as you transition to Stage 2 of Meaningful Use: Changes to Menu and Core Structure: Many aspects of the program will stay the same but there will be some tweaks here and there. Threshold Increases: Reporting thresholds will increase for many of the core measures. For example, providers reporting on computerized provider order entry will need to increase their use of Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) to 60% of patient interactions, doubling the number in Stage 1. Health Information Exchange: While Stage 1 only required that providers test their capabilities, Stage 2 asks providers who transition or refer a patient to another setting to provide a summary of care record for more than 50% of those transitions. Patient Engagement: To aid patients in this venture, Stage 2 requires providers to offer electronic access to records, through patient portals and secure messaging, within four business days of the information being available to the EP. Hospitals will have 36 hours after discharge. 5% of patients must access or download their records, a number which makes many providers nervous, since patient participation is somewhat out of their control. Electronic Clinical Quality Measures: Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs) have been removed as a core objective and placed into their own special category. Even though they're no longer part of the core, EPs must report on 9 out of a total of 64 CQMs, and hospitals must conquer 16 out of 29. Comments are closed.
