Industry News - Meaningful Use and Health Information Exchange

As part of the meaningful use criteria the Recovery Act specifies “Use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of health care”. 

At Summit Healthcare electronic exchange of health information is our business.  Since 1999 we have been helping hospitals with their integration needs.  With the passing of the Recovery Act Summit Healthcare will continue to provide hospitals with the technology and services they need to reach their goals.

Although not an EHR, the Summit Express interface engine is the delivery tool for the data exchange between the hospital, the EHR and other third party vendors.  This makes the engine part of the EHR technology and certifiable under the ONC regulations.  Of the 14 core objectives mandatory for meaningful use by hospitals, the one that all certified EHR technology must comply with is “Protect electronic health information”.  In addition there are a number of criteria that relate to receiving data, data submission, electronic data transmission, and data exchange.  Summit Healthcare is committed to certification of its engine technology, where appropriate, to ensure that your hospital has the tools it needs to satisfy the qualifications of the Medicare and Medicaid incentives.

For Stage 1 of Meaningful Use hospitals must complete:

• 14 core objectives
• 5 objectives out of 10 from menu set
• 15 Clinical Quality Measures

14 Core Objectives:

1. Computerized provider order entry (CPOE)
2. Drug-drug and drug-allergy interaction checks
3. Record demographics
4. Implement one clinical decision support rule
5. Maintain up-to-date problem list of current and active diagnoses
6. Maintain active medication list
7. Maintain active medication allergy list
8. Record and chart changes in vital signs
9. Record smoking status for patients 13 years or older
10. Report hospital clinical quality measures to CMS or States
11. Provide patients with an electronic copy of their health information, upon request
12. Provide patients with an electronic copy of their discharge instructions at time of discharge, upon request
13. Capability to exchange key clinical information among providers of care and patient-authorized entities electronically
14. Protect electronic health information

Menu objectives: (may defer 5 of 10)

1. Drug-formulary checks
2. Record advanced directives for patients 65 years or older
3. Incorporate clinical lab test results as structured data
4. Generate lists of patients by specific conditions
5. Use certified EHR technology to identify patient-specific education resources and provide to patient, if appropriate
6. Medication reconciliation
7. Summary of care record for each transition of care/referrals
8. Capability to submit electronic data to immunization registries/systems*
9. Capability to provide electronic submission of reportable lab results to public health agencies*
10. Capability to provide electronic syndromic surveillance data to public health agencies*

Eligible Hospitals must complete all 15:

1. Emergency Department Throughput –admitted patients Median time from ED arrival to ED departure for admitted patients
2. Emergency Department Throughput –admitted patients –Admission decision time to ED departure time for admitted patients
3. Ischemic stroke –Discharge on anti-thrombotics
4. Ischemic stroke –Anticoagulation for A-fib/flutter
5. Ischemic stroke –Thrombolytic therapy for patients arriving within 2 hours of symptom onset
6. Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke –Antithrombotic therapy by day 2
7. Ischemic stroke –Discharge on statins
8. Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke –Stroke education
9. Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke –Rehabilitation assessment
10. VTE prophylaxis within 24 hours of arrival
11. Intensive Care Unit VTE prophylaxis
12. Anticoagulation overlap therapy
13. Platelet monitoring on unfractionated heparin
14. VTE discharge instructions
15. Incidence of potentially preventable VTE

In addition, Click here to view the webcast "Criteria for HIT Stimulus Funding: Meaningful Use and Certification Requirements" lead by industry expert Michele Madison, Partner at Morris, Manning & Martin.

• The time line and how to implement the meaningful use of certified electronic health records in order to obtain the financial incentives in 2011
• The current proposed meaningful use criteria for providers including certification criteria for vendors
• The certification criteria for vendors
• Provider screening criteria: how to review vendors to enable providers to obtain financial incentives.