CMS Releases Final Stage 2 Meaningful Use Rules

Well folks, it’s final.  HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the final rule for Stage 2 Meaningful Use last Thursday.  In fact there were two final rules released; along with Stage 2 Meaningful Use criteria for eligible physicians and hospitals, a companion final rule was released for medical software developers by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology as a guide to the design and certification of electronic health record systems.

A press release confirmed that Stage 2 will begin in 2014, assuring eligible professionals that no one would be required to meet Stage 2 criteria until 2014, regardless of when they attested Stage 1.  The release of Stage 1 focused teaching eligible professionals how to capture data electronically.  Stage 2 emphasizes more on the exchange of captured data between other healthcare providers and allowing patients to access their medical records online.  Two new core objectives were added:  eligible providers must use secure electronic messaging to communicate with patients and eligible hospitals must track medications from order to administration automatically via assisting technologies with an eMAR. 

ONC’s final rule regarding EHR medical software focused on Certified EHR Technology definitions, interoperability and security.  According to the press release, eligible providers will be able to use their 2011 edition Certified EHR Technology until 2014.  Certified EHRs will need focus on encryption of data if it is stored in an end-user device and allow patients the ability to securely view their medical information and communicate with their physician.   Standards for transitions of care and referral summaries for the transmission to be viewed and downloaded by other healthcare providers must be met.  A common interface standard for the exchange of test results between the lab, providers and hospitals was also a new certification criterion adopted for 2014.  

Cardiologists Less Likely to Embrace Use of Medical Software

HealthDay via U.S. News released a survey, reporting the rate of electronic health record adoption among U.S. physicians.  While the study showed that a little over half of the doctor population have implemented an EHR or EMR, EHR in the cardiology specialty remains low.  According to PrognoCIS sales rep Ian Daniels, only 25 percent of the cardiologist population has a medical software solution in use in their practice. 

The survey, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, is based on mail-in responses by 3,200 physicians nationwide that started in 2011 and expected to continue until 2013.  The survey was set up to study the opinions and practices surrounding EHR software.  According to Daniels, cardiologists’ implementation hesitation stems from the belief that an EHR will only slow the practice down.  75 percent of physicians out of the 55 percent that use an electronic system feel that the system they purchased meets their needs in playing a “meaningful” role in their practice.  Are we listening, cardiology docs?

Not surprisingly, 47 percent of those with an EHR claim to be “somewhat” happy “very” happy with the day-to-day operations of their EHR medical software and 38 percent say they are “very” happy.  3 out of 4 also responded that they have seen an improvement in patient care since implementation.  What the fearful cardiologists don’t realize is that an EHR is equipped with circulatory system specific templates to follow when performing exams and procedures.  Data entry and record retrieval is quick and easy and less likely to contain errors if the templates are followed correctly.  “By using specialty-specific templates that are customized for the practice, as well as accommodating a compound note that can include dictation, we successfully strive to provide a workflow that the physician can use that will not slow him down,” says Daniels.