Additional EMR Incentive Resources

Recommended Sources for EMR Updates and News:

The Official CMS EHR Incentive Program Website
New England Journal of Medicine on Meaningful Use
Health and Human Services Health IT Guidelines
EHRBloggers.com
The Health Care Blog

Relevant Articles on Electronic Medical Record Certification:

EHR Certification rules now in final form (July 2010 – EHR Bloggers)
Meaningful Use: Following HHS from an EHR vendor perspective (July 2010 – EHR Bloggers)
Final Meaningful Use criteria unveiled (July 2010 – EHR Bloggers)
HHS takes on health records (August 2009 – Washington Post)
Certification recommendations OK’d (August 2009 – Health Data Management)
Finally, a reasonable plan for certification of EHR technologies (August 2009 - The Health Care Blog)
HITECH incentives & the Meaningful Use of Practice Fusion's EHR (January 1010 - Practice Fusion)

Summary of Health and Human Services – Health IT Guidelines

HHS is developing criteria for “meaningful use” certification. The Health IT Standards Panel (HITSP) has stated the following three primary goals for health IT systems:

• Functionality – Provide needed capabilities
• Security - Securely manage information and protect confidentially
• Interoperability - Work with other systems without reprogramming

A final matrix (view HHS matrix in PDF format) was released on August 14, 2009 that details the health outcomes policy priorities with objectives for 2011, 2013 and 2015. These guidelines have been passed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to be approved. The certification process for these guidelines has not yet been established. Here are the 2011 objectives for eligible providers:

1. Improve quality, safety, efficiency and reduce health disparities

2011 objectives for eligible providers:
• Use CPOE for all orders
• Implement drug-drug, drug-allergy, drug-formulary checks
• Maintain an up ¬to-date problem list of current and active diagnoses based on ICD-9 or SNOMED
• Generate and transmit permissible prescriptions electronically (eRx)
• Maintain active medication list
• Maintain active medication allergy list
• Record demographics
• Record advance directives
• Record vital signs
• Record smoking status
• Incorporate lab-test results into EHR as structured data
• Generate lists of patients by specific conditions to use for quality improvement, reduction of disparities, and outreach
• Report ambulatory quality measures to CMS
• Send reminders to patients per patient preference for preventive/ follow up care
• Implement one clinical decision rule relevant to specialty or high clinical priority
• Document a progress note for each encounter
• Check insurance eligibility electronically from public and private payers, where possible
• Submit claims electronically to public and private payers

2. Engage Patients and Families

2011 objectives for eligible providers:
• Provide patients with an electronic copy of their health information (including lab results, problem list, medication lists, allergies) upon request
• Provide patients with timely electronic access to their health information (including lab results, problem list, medical lists, allergies)
• Provide access to patient-specific education resources
• Provide clinical summaries for patients for each encounter

3. Improve Care Coordination

2011 objectives for eligible providers:
• Capability to exchange key clinical information (e.g., problem list, medication list, allergies, test results) among providers of care and patient authorized entities electronically
• Perform medication reconciliation at relevant encounters and and each transition of care

4. Improve Population and Public Health

2011 objectives for eligible providers:
• Capability to submit electronic data to immunization registries and action submission where required and accepted.
• Capability to provide electronic syndrome surveillance data to public health agencies and actual transmission according to applicable law and practice

5. Ensure Adequate Privacy and Security Protections for Personal Health Information

2011 objectives for eligible providers:
• Compliance with HIPAA privacy and security rules
• Compliance with fair data sharing practices set forth in the Nationwide Privacy and Security Framework

Summary of Medicare and Medicaid – HITECH Incentives Guidelines

Read the CMS Fact Sheet on Health IT

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, qualified providers can receive $44,000 or more in stimulus incentives for “meaningful use” on an EHR (learn more in our Stimulus Center). On June 16, 2009, CMS released initial guidelines for how these incentives will be paid.