Meaningful use is aimed at using certified electronic health record (EHR) technology to capture and share data, advance clinical processes and improve patient outcomes. Stage 3 standards are primarily concerned with improving health outcomes of the patient. This can be achieved through health information exchange, making the meaningful use program more flexible, public health reporting, coordination of care through patient engagement and accessing information electronically by patients. Eligible providers and eligible hospitals must attest to above objectives to qualify for CMS incentive programs. However, meaningful use objectives for providers and hospitals differ to some extent. There are ten objectives for eligible providers and nine objectives for eligible hospitals. Meaningful use program is scheduled to begin 2018, and all providers are expected to comply with the eight advanced objectives which include protecting patient health information, electronic prescribing, clinical decision support, computerized provider order entry, patient electronic access to health information, coordination of care through patient engagement, health information exchange and public health and clinical data registry reporting (cms.gov/eHealth).
Meaningful use stage 3 standards if implemented fully will go a long way improving patient health outcomes. However, some objectives won’t be easy to achieve. For instance, protecting patient health information. It will be a challenge for small groups to interpret and implement the technical, administrative and physical safeguards of patient information. Furthermore, the security risk assessment scope was expanded in stage 3 making it more complex and challenging to measure than it was in stage 2. Providers are required to make a comprehensive security risk assessment thoroughly each year which may turn to be burdensome and lead to confusion.
Health information exchange will significantly improve health outcome of the patients. Exchanging electronic summary of care and clinical information reconciliation for more than 80% of patients will provide important information regarding medication use, problems encountered and allergies experienced if any (Paul Tang, 2013). Such information will be important and form a basis for starting care in another setting of care.
Works cited
https://www.cms.gov/eHealth/downloads/Webinar_eHealth_May11_ONCStage3.pdf,. 2016. Print.
Draft Recommendations Meaningful Use Stage 3 Meaningful Use Work Group Paul Tang, chair George Hripcsak, co-chair,. 2016. Print.
