Meaningful use – strange but would you want un-Meaningful use? 06072012

Medical practices have to prove “Meaningful Use” to get incentives for their EMR systems, and I just thought what a waste of time a system would be if you were not getting meaningful use from it or un-meaningful use.  That would be like spending hours eating food and getting no calories, I suppose if you were obese this might actually be a good example of un-meaningful use.

So if you hear someone complaining on how much time meaningful use is wasting their time this is what it is all about. The office must prove their hopefully certified EHR/EMR software is also HiTech compliant and meets the following list of criteria:

Meaningful Use*

* This listing was copied from Cyclops EHR’s website.

Core Elements

Health care practitioners must meet all 15 of the core Elements to achieve meaningful use of electronic health records. Measures are assigned for each Element.

• Element: Record patient demographics (sex, race, ethnicity, date of birth, preferred language).

  Measure: More than 50 percent of patients’ demographic data recorded as structured data.

• Element: Record vital signs and chart changes (height, weight, blood pressure, body mass index, growth charts for children).

  Measure: More than 50 percent of patients two years of age or older have height, weight, and blood pressure recorded as structured data.

• Element: Maintain up-to-date problem list of current and active diagnoses.

  Measure:More than 80 percent of patients have at least one entry as structured data.

• Element: Maintain active medication list.

  Measure:More than 80 percent of patients have at least one entry recorded as structured data.

• Element: Maintain active medication allergy list.

  Measure:More than 80 percent of patients have at least one entry recorded as structured data.

• Element: Record smoking status for patients 13 years of age of older.

  Measure: More than 50 percent of patients 13 years of age or older have smoking status recorded as structured data.

• Element: For individual professionals, provide patients with clinical summaries for each office visit.

  Measure: Clinical summaries provided to patients for more than 50 percent of all office visits within three business days.

• Element: On request, provide patients with an electronic copy of their health information (including diagnostic test results, problem list, medication list, medication allergies).

  Measure: More than 50 percent of requesting patients receive electronic copy within three business days.

• Element: Generate and transmit permissible prescriptions electronically.

  Measure: More than 40 percent are transmitted electronically using certified EHR technology.

• Element: Computer provider order entry (CPOE) for medication orders.

  Measure: More than 30 percent of patients with at least one medication in their medication ordered through CPOE.

• Elementnt: Implement drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction checks.

  Measure: Functionality is enabled for these checks for the entire reporting period.

• Element: Implement capability to electronically exchange key clinical information among providers and patient-authorized entities.

  Measure: Perform at least one test of EHR’s capacity to electronically exchange information.

• Element: Implement one clinical decision support rule and ability to track compliance with the rule.

  Measure: One clinical decision support rule implemented.

• Element: Implement systems to protect privacy and security of patient data in the EHR.

  Measure: Conduct or review a security risk analysis, implement security updates as necessary and correct identified security deficiencies.

• Element: Report clinical quality measure to CMS or states.

  Measure:For 2011, provide aggregate numerator and denominator through attestation; for 2012, electronically submit measures.

Menu Elements

Health care practitioners must meet five of the 10 core menu Elements to achieve meaningful use of electronic health records. Measures are assigned for each Element.

• Element: Implement drug formulary checks.

  Measure: Drug formulary check system is implemented and access maintained to at least one internal or external drug formulary for the entire reporting period.

• Element: Incorporate clinical laboratory test results into EHRs as structured data.

  Measure:More than 40 percent of clinical laboratory test results whose results are in positive/negative or numerical format are incorporated into EHRs as structured data.

• Elementt: Generate lists of patients by specific conditions to use for quality improvement, reduction of disparities, research or outreach.

  Measure: Generate at least one listing of patients with specific condition.

• Element: Use EHR technology to identify patient-specific education resources and provide to the patient as appropriate.

  Measure: More than 10 percent of patients are provided patient-specific education resources.

• Element: Perform medical reconciliation between care settings.

  Measure:Medication reconciliation is performed for more than 50 percent of transitions of care.

• Element: Provide summary of care record for patients referred or transitioned to another provider or setting.

  Measure:Summary of care record is provided for more than 50 percent of patient transitions or referrals.

• Element: Submit electronic immunization data to immunization registries or immunization information systems.

  Measure: Perform at least one test of data submission and follow-up submission (where registries can accept electronic submission).

• Element: Submit electronic syndromic surveillance data to public health agencies.

  Measure: Perform at least one test of data submission and follow-up submission (where public health agencies can accept electronic submission).

• Element: Send reminders to patients (per patient preference) for preventative and follow-up care.

  Measure: More than 20 percent of patients 65 years of age or older or five years if age or younger are sent appropriate reminders.

• Element: Provide patients with timely electronic access to their health information (including laboratory results, problem list, medication lists, medication allergies).

  Measure: More than 10 percent of patients are provided electronic access to information within four days of it being updated in the EHR.

Now I am not trying to make light of this legislation but it is because of some of these verifications many Doctors are reluctant, and frustrated with regulations around ERSA, HiPPA, Paper Reduction Acts, Electronic Reporting, ePrescription etc. For the average non-medical professional I wanted to shed a little light as to what this was all about.