HITECH: 25 criteria for ‘meaningful use

Finally there's some good news for practices that have been waiting for CMS to define the term 'meaningful use'. But don't look for a quick one-sentence definition.



Here's the update: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009 (ARRA) offers annual bonuses to practices that show meaningful use of electronic health records. And in 2015, practices that are not showing meaningful use will face the brunt. But then the government was a little slack in issuing a definition of the term 'meaningful use', which lead to some HITECH physicians delaying adoption of EHRs because they did not risk being a non-meaningful user.



Towards the fag end of last year, CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology announced that the definition was finally available for public comment. According to Charlene Frizzera, CMS's acting administrator, CMS's proposed regulation would define and specify how to demonstrate a 'meaningful use' of EHR technology, which is a prerequisite for receiving the Medicare incentive payments.



Stage 1 of the meaningful use criteria, which begins in 2011, includes 25 objectives for eligible professionals and 23 objectives/measures for eligible hospitals. You must meet all of the criteria set forth in order to be considered a meaningful EHR use.



Tip to remember: CMS says if you use EHRs, you can not only qualify for a financial bonus, but also boost your practice's efficiency. According to David Blumenthal, MD, national coordinator for health information technology, widespread adoption of electronic health records holds great promise for improving health care quality, efficiency and patient safety.



Watch out: CMS will accept public comments on the rule for 60 days. (electronically or by mail).











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