Happy Holidays to one and all. If you are reading this, the end of the Mayan calendar must have some significance beyond the end of the world. Given our new lease on life, can you think of a better topic to discuss than meaningful use? I suspect you came up with a few, but bear with me while I attempt to bring the future into view.
Although no one will face the Stage 3 objectives until 2016, the Health IT Policy Committee (HITPC) recently published a formal request for comment related to Stage 3. And while some of you are running the last minute shopping gauntlet, let’s get a sense of what the HITPC has in store for nephrologists a few years from now.
This document is a quick read for those of you with time on your hands. One of the first things you will notice is that HITPC is clearly thinking beyond Stage 3. I have alluded to this previously, but it is worth mentioning again. The CMS EHR incentive program, aka Meaningful Use, does not end with Stage 3. There will very clearly be future stages and at this point there is no end in sight for the program. Unlike the CMS e-prescribing program which will come to an end in a couple of years, the meaningful use program is beginning to resemble the Energizer Bunny…it keeps going and going and going.
Points of interest in this request for comment:
- As we have seen with the transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2, when an objective’s target reaches 80%, that objective is typically retired in the next stage. We saw this in Stage 2 with the retirement of the problem list, med list and allergy list objectives. Look for the same thing to occur in Stage 3 with demographics, vital signs and tobacco. Do not mistake this evolution as a sign we will no longer be required to capture this data. As we have seen in the Stage 1-to-2 transition, other objectives in the subsequent stage require this data. The idea is that as providers become accustomed to capturing this data at such high rates, there is no turning back.
- To the chagrin perhaps of the leading e-prescribing providers in the land, this request for comment does not incorporate EPCS (electronic prescription of controlled substances) within the eRx objective. The language appears to remain “permissible prescriptions.” This may change of course as the HITPC evaluates comments and ultimately makes their recommendations to HHS.
- Many of the Stage 2 menu objectives move to the Stage 3 core, and HITPC appears to be comfortable with continuing the core/menu framework we are all now accustomed to.
- Many of the new objectives and updates to existing objectives are represented by two broad categories:
- Coordination of care and its requirement for interoperability, and
- Empowering the patient with access to health information and educational information.
With the threat of the end of the world now in the review mirror, we can look forward to enjoying the holiday season. The HITPC’s request for comment period closes on January 14 and the document contains the details for making a formal comment. If you would prefer to avoid the hassle factor of a formal submission, we encourage you to comment here.
From all of us at the Acumen Blog, have a Happy and Joyous Holiday Season.
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