Stage 2 Meaningful Use Proposal Announced

CMS announced the proposed rule for Stage 2 Meaningful Use requirements for EHR incentive programs today during a session led by National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari at the HIMSS conference in Las Vegas.

The proposed requirements were posted to the Federal Register and are expected to be published next week. The final rule is scheduled to be released this summer following a 60-day comment period.

Most of the core and menu objectives of Stage 2 reflect those outlined in Stage 1, according to CMS. As expected, hospitals and eligible providers would have to demonstrate CPOE use for more than 60 percent of medication, laboratory, and radiology orders. Eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals would be required to meet or qualify for an exclusion to 16 core objectives and 2 of 4 menu objectives, and eligible providers must meet or qualify for an exclusion to 17 core objectives and 3 of 5 menu objectives.

Stage 2 requirements also include “rigorous expectations for health information exchange, including more demanding requirements for e-prescribing, incorporation structured laboratory results, and the expectation that providers will electronically transmit patient care summaries to support transitions in care across unaffiliated providers, settings, and EHR systems.”

Under the proposed rule, the focus will shift from “the exchange of key clinical information” to “transitions of care that require the electronic exchange of summary of care documents.” Another change is that instead of merely “providing patients with an electronic copy of their health information,” patients would be enabled to “view online, download, and transmit an electronic copy” of their data.

For more information, visit CMS’ fact sheet on the proposed rule.