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HHS announces stage 2 of meaningful use requirements

Compliance Monitor, February 29, 2012

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the proposed Stage 2 meaningful use requirements for eligible providers adopting EHR systems in a February 24 HHS press release. Meaningful use as defined during Stage 2 consists of online access for patients to their health information and electronic health information exchange between providers. Implementation of this requirement is set for 2014 under the proposed rule.

Stage 2 builds upon the requirements outlined in Stage 1, including:

• Changing the denominator of computerized provider order entry (CPOE), which was optional for Stage 1 but is required for Stage 2
• Changing the age limitations for vital signs, which was optional for Stage 1 but is also required for Stage 2
• Eliminating the “exchange of key clinical information” core objective from Stage 1 in favor of a “transitions of care” core objective that requires electronic exchange of summary of care documents in Stage 2. This is a new requirement for Stage 2.
• Replacing “provide patients with an electronic copy of their health information” objective with a “view online, download, and transmit” core objective. This is also a new requirement for Stage 2.

According to the press release, Stage 3 of meaningful use demonstrates that the quality of healthcare has been improved. Under the proposed rule, the expected implementation date for Stage 3 will be 2016.

Click here to read the complete proposed rule on the Federal Register.

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