5 Things to Know about Meaningful Use in 2015 Before You Go too Far

Are you attesting for meaningful use in 2015 for any year or stage beyond Stage 1, Year 1? Are you sure you are doing it right? 

Before you go much further, here are five things to know to be sure you do it right.

1. The reporting period for 2015 (except for Year 1, Stage 1) is January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2015, a full 365 days’ worth of MU data.
2. For Stage 2 if providers order labs they need to have elabs integrated into their certified EHR. For Stage 2 the incorporation of lab test results is now Core Measure 10, in Stage 1 it was Menu Measure 2.
3. Engage your patients in utilizing the Patient Portal because in Stage 2 of MU patient interaction starts to play a bigger role. Core Measures 7b and 17 require that 5% of patients seen by the provider during the reporting period interact with the provider by: A. viewing, downloading, or transmitting their complete health records, and B. by sending a secure message to their provider. These measures are all completed from within the Patient Portal.
4. In moving forward with MU, Stage 2 has initiated the sending of secure messages of a patients Summary of Care record when the patient is being transferred to another setting of care or provider. In order to send secure Summary of Care records, providers will need to setup Updox.
5. If providers give immunizations, another item that providers will need to get setup for Stage 2 of MU is connecting to their state's immunization registries to achieve on-going submission of immunizations.

Also, be aware that there is a possible change pending for the reporting period. CMS recently said that it may change the reporting period back to 90 days in this announcement.

For more of the latest news on meaningful use, visit the Kareo Meaningful Use Resource Center.