Health IT Policy Panel Approves Revisions on ‘Meaningful Use’

Today, the Health IT Policy Committee approved a work group’s revised recommendations for defining “meaningful use” of electronic health records, Health Data Management reports.

The federal economic stimulus package requires hospitals and physicians to demonstrate meaningful use of EHRs to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments.

The work group released its initial draft recommendations last month.

Revised Benchmarks

For the new recommendations, the work group revised objectives for EHRs to meet by certain deadlines. The revised 2011 criteria call for qualified health care providers to:

• Allow patients to access their health records in a timely manner;
• Develop capabilities to exchange health information where possible;
• Implement at least one clinical decision support rule for a specialty or clinical priority;
• Provide patients with electronic copies of discharge instructions and procedures;
• Submit insurance claims electronically; and
• Verify insurance eligibility electronically when possible.

The group also called for health care providers to allow all patients to access personal health records by 2013, two years earlier than under the initial recommendations.

In addition, the revised recommendations include an objective for all providers to participate in a national health data exchange by 2015.

Sliding Scale

For the new recommendations, the work group suggested that health care providers could meet the EHR adoption benchmarks on a shifted timeline.

For example, if a health care provider first started implementing health IT processes in 2012, the 2011 criteria would apply to the provider’s first adoption year. The 2013 criteria then would apply to the provider’s third adoption year.

CPOE

The work group also clarified criteria related to computerized physician order entry systems.

The new recommendations call for health care providers to use CPOE systems for 10% of all orders of any type.

However, the work group did not offer guidance on whether the 10% requirement would apply to each individual order type or all orders in total.

HIPAA

In addition, the new recommendations clarify how violations of the HIPAA medical privacy rule could affect incentive payments.

The work group recommended that CMS withhold incentive payments from health care providers until HIPAA violation charges are resolved.

Next Steps

The revised meaningful use recommendations now go to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and other HHS units.

HHS will use the recommendations to help shape regulations regarding the federal incentive programs.

The federal government is expected to release a proposed rule by the end of 2009 (Goedert, Health Data Management, 7/16).

Blumenthal Notes Progress on Health IT

In related news, National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal on Wednesday said HHS is moving forward on efforts to promote health IT adoption among medical providers nationwide.

Speaking during an event at the Center for American Progress, Blumenthal said ONC is prioritizing efforts to define meaningful use of EHRs.

Blumenthal said his office will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking on meaningful use within several months. Stakeholders then will have an opportunity to submit public comment before officials finalize the definition in early 2010, he added.

Coming Up

Next week, the Health IT Standards Committee will meet to discuss criteria for relating meaningful use to equipment and manufacturing decisions. HHS aims to release certification criteria by the end of the year, Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal added that ONC will unveil its plans for a health IT infrastructure this summer. He said the office also will release a blueprint for developing a health data exchange (Noyes, CongressDaily, 7/15).

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Panel-Approves-Revisions-on-Meaningful-Use.aspx