By 2014, hospitals and physicians whom Medicare reimburses for services and items will need to have adopted an electronic health record (EHR) according to rules promulgated under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) or risk reductions in their Medicare reimbursement. On December 30, 2009, the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), released their respective proposed rules for qualifying for EHR stimulus funds under HITECH: The “meaningful use” and “certified” EHR standards.
EHR
HIT Policy Committee Workgroup Releases Second Draft of “Meaningful Use”
On Thursday, July 16, 2009, the HIT Policy Committee presented its revised recommendation on the “meaningful use” definition. At the end of this meeting, the HIT Policy Committee forwarded its recommendation on the “meaningful use” definition to the Office of National Coordinator per the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH Act”). The revised meaningful use matrix, 2011 Draft Quality Measures and other materials presented or discussed during the MU meeting on July 16, 2009 are available on the HIT Policy Committee webpage.
ONCHIT Policy Committee Releases Draft Definition of Meaningful Use to Qualify for HITECH Act’s Medicare Incentives
Article Summary: The Meaningful Use Workgroup of the Office of National Coordinator’s HIT Policy Committee presented its initial draft of “meaningful use” at the Committee’s June 16, 2009 HIT Policy Committee meeting. As the National Coordinator and Chair of the HIT Policy Committee, David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P., reminded the meeting’s participants: “This is an initial draft, which has a long way to go.” Health reform clearly is a cornerstone of the Meaningful Use criteria. The Committee established five key Meaningful Use goals with criteria that will be stengthened every two years based on that year’s specific objective.
CCHIT posts new criteria for certain electronic health records
On May 29, 2009, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Technology (CCHIT) released its recently developed criteria, test scripts, and the “Concise Guide to CCHIT Criteria” outlining the characteristics of a qualified electronic health record (EHR). This criteria relates to ambulatory, inpatient, enterprise, and emergency room electronic health records. The “Concise Guide to CCHIT Criteria”, which is specific to ambulatory and inpatient criteria only, highlights the 2009 changes. The criteria has been submitted to the Health Information Technology Standards Committee for review, and feedback is anticipated by August 26. Shortly thereafter, CCHIT will begin accepting applications for the certification programs. To access this article, click here.
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