Answer

Meaningful Use in Electronic Health Record

Introduction

Meaningful use (mu) is a term used in health IT to refer to the standards for electronic health records (EHR) showing how clinical patient information should be exchanged between health providers, insurers and patients (Basch & Kuhn, 2016). Its main aim is to improve how clinical and public healthcare collaborate, improve patient-centric preventative care and support accurate data exchange. Its concept is established on the following five pillars of health outcome priorities: improving quality, safety, efficiency and reduce health inconsistencies. MU also aims at improving patient engagement in their health and at the same time facilitating care coordination, improving public health and population and ensuring personal health information is adequately secured (Basch & Kuhn, 2016). Meaningful use is classified into three stages; data capture and sharing, advanced clinical process and improved outcomes.

Part 1: Three Types of EHRs

Part 2: Stages of Meaningful Use and its Implementation

Meaningful use stage 1

This is the first phase of meaningful use incentive program which dictates for the use of electronic health records by hospitals and any eligible health provider (Basch & Kuhn, 2016). It has a total of 25 criteria which are broken into fifteen central objectives and ten public health objectives. The objectives have a threshold requirement that health providers need to meet while others give a specific action that should be taken during the reporting period. The core requirements are compulsory while the clinicians are allowed to choose any five of the ten public health requirements. All the parties involved should adopt an electronic health record which conforms to the listed criteria for them to be eligible for government incentives (Basch & Kuhn, 2016). Not all the objectives apply to every provider which in such cases the provider is allowed to claim exclusion from being mandated to meet the measures. This stage is implemented through adoption of basic EHR and data gathering.

Meaningful use stage 2

This stage centers on the use of the EHR introduced in stage one. Stage two calls on all healthcare providers to use more advanced processes, increase interoperability of health data and implement standardized formats. It focuses more on clinical data exchange and patient engagements with providers. It also uses the same core objectives as stage one, but with a higher threshold. This ensures that the process extends and reaches out to a larger population (Basch & Kuhn, 2016). Its core objectives include; the use of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) for medication orders. Electronic submission of prescriptions, implementation of clinical decision support at the point of care, provision of electronic access to patients (VDT) electronic health information protection, provision of patient specific education, performing medical reconciliation, creation and transmission of care record summary and enabling secure messaging. This stage requires EP’s to fulfill one public health measure from options given (Basch & Kuhn, 2016). For the second stage to be fully implemented, great emphasis should be put in care coordination and exchange of patient information.

Meaningful use stage 3

This stage requires health providers to attest to their states Medicaid Promoting Interoperability (PI) Programs. The stage requires physicians to meet eight overall objectives so as to receive incentives and avoid penalties (CMS.gov, 2018). Unlike in the earlier stages where providers chose from a set of objectives, this stage dictates the exact eight objectives that should be adhered to. It also promotes the use of ‘APIs so as to reduce the gap between health and IT and facilitate increased data access by patients. The introduction of meaningful use will ensure successful electronic health record storage and protection of patients’ data (CMS.gov, 2018). After the implementation of the first and second stage, the third stage is almost realized automatically through improved healthcare outcomes.

Conclusion

The Medicaid EHR incentive program requires eligible professionals and hospitals to attest to either stage two or stage three objectives and measures. Eligible professionals will only receive incentives if they demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology through safety, efficiency of patient care and improved quality (CMS.gov. 2018). The three stages of meaningful use represent the programs goal, priorities and final rule if it’s adhered to or not. Through the introduction and implementation of the program, the government aims at protecting clinical information at the same time making it easily accessible so as to improve healthcare services.