Meaningful Use Updates

Meaningful Use for 2015 is being streamlined. Rather than some providers reporting on Stage 1 and some providers reporting on Stage 2, and complicated rules regarding who can report on what, everyone will now be required to report the same measures. CMS has put together a Modified Stage 2, with requirements that are accessible to everybody, even those new to Meaningful Use.

The reporting period is being cut from a year to 90 days -- Eligible Providers may choose any consecutive 90 day period starting on or after January 1st, 2015, and ending on or before December 31st, 2015. 

In addition, the number of measures required to report on is being cut to 10 objectives: 

• Protect Patient Health Information
• Clinical Decision Support (one rule for Stage 1, five interventions for Stage 2)
• Electronic Prescribing
• Public Health Reporting
• Computerized Provider Order Entry (medications)
• Computerized Provider Order Entry (laboratory and radiology)
• Health Information Exchange
• Patient Specific Education
• Medication Reconciliation
• Patient Electronic Access (VDT)
• Secure Messaging

These are all either previously required or a combination of previously required measures. Providers who had been planning to attest to Stage 1 may be excluded from any measures that were not required for Stage 1, namely the measures listed in green above.

Providers who had been planning to attest to Stage 2 will find the requirements to be a simplified version of what they were already preparing to meet. The new objectives focus on advanced use of EHR technology, cutting out redundant and outdated measures and simplifying requirements.  

Reporting under the new guidelines will be very simple for AuroraEHR users -- the Meaningful Use Reports screen will feature the measures required for everybody and only those measures, making running the report a snap.

Written by Laura Rowe