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Update on Meaningful Use!
On July 28, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published in
the Federal Register the final rules for meaningful use and certification
standards of electronic health record (EHR) systems under the
HITECH
provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The rules
establish the requirements for eligible hospitals and providers to
qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentives for meaningful use of
certified EHRs. For a summary of the regulations, you may want to read
The
New England Journal of Medicine article by David Blumenthal, M.D.,
M.P.P., and Marilyn Tavenner, R.N., M.H.A.
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What is Meaningful Use?
The final definitions for “meaningful use” are still being debated. Find
out how it will affect your EHR roadmap.
The HITECH provisions of the ARRA legislation will reward hospitals and
physician practices for implementing a certified EHR. But you have to prove
technology is making a difference. It’s all about meaningful use.
The bar for demonstrating meaningful use will rise over time. The phased
approach is focused on:
- 2011 - Capturing and sharing data
- 2013 - Advancing care processes with decision support
- 2015 - Improving outcomes
As of today, the federal advisory committees’ work on the 2011
meaningful use criteria is complete, and recommendations are with the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the associated
rule-making process. After a period of public comment, a final ruling on
meaningful use is anticipated in spring 2010. Additionally, an interim
final rule on EHR certification requirements is expected by Dec. 31,
2009. The incentives become available in 2011; penalties begin in 2015.
Even though we don’t have the final definition of meaningful use, to
make the most of stimulus funding means you must plan and execute on
your EHR roadmap as soon as possible.
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Certified EHR Systems
Learn more about why EHR systems must meet Health and Human Services’
certification standards.
Certified Electronic Health Records
The Story So Far
Electronic health record (EHR) systems used by providers to achieve
meaningful use will be required to meet Health and Human Services (HHS)
certification requirements. However, the HHS certification requirements and
process are not yet defined by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC).
Interim proposals were made to the federal Health IT Policy and Health IT
Standards advisory committees in early fall 2009, but no process was clearly
identified regarding certification.
The federal advisory committee recommended opening the certification
process to multiple vendors in the marketplace, with all vendors being
required to use a minimum set of identical criteria in the certification
process.
The timeline for finalizing certification belongs to the ONC, with plans
to skip preliminaries and issue the interim final rule for EHR certification
by Dec. 31, 2009.
Moving Forward
To help the industry move forward in the absence of final rules, the
Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) used the
2011 meaningful use objectives along with proposed measures to create two
kinds of certification programs:
- Preliminary ARRA 2011 Certification EHR systems comprised of modular
components.
- CCHIT® Certified 2011 for comprehensive EHRs (similar to the
traditional CCHIT certification)
CCHIT is hosting educational sessions to clarify the new certification
processes. CCHIT also plans to provide additional “gap” certification
metrics if additional requirements are included in the final rules. Leaders
from McKesson’s four EHR solution businesses are participating in the
process and closely monitoring CCHIT requirements. However, while it is
important to achieve full CCHIT certification, McKesson’s priority is to
provide an EHR that meets the HHS certification criteria.
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Grants and Funding Opportunities
Until stimulus funds become available, McKesson can help you identify
other HIT funding opportunities that may offer immediate assistance.
Grants and Funding Opportunities
The federal government has put real muscle behind the adoption of
electronic health record (EHR) systems and other health IT. But funds don’t
become available for another year. In addition, credit markets are tight,
and healthcare executives and CIOs are being asked to either cut or hold the
line on capital budgets.
Clearly, it’s never been more important to take advantage of every
opportunity to supplement your capital and operating budgets.
Grant & Institutional Funding Team
McKesson’s Grant & Institutional Funding Team (GIFT) is a free service that
helps you identify funds from federal, state and local grants, as well as
institutions and foundations. Your organization may qualify for funding,
especially to support strategic IT initiatives such as:
- Medication safety
- Electronic health records
- Computerized provider order entry
- Disease management
- Health information exchange
- Physician-patient connectivity
- Telemedicine or teleradiology
- Solutions for community and critical access hospitals
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