In an effort to boost efficiency and process patients more quickly while saving money, Medicaid and Medicare are offering financial incentives to medical providers who meet the criteria for Stage 2 Meaningful Use.
These incentives are expected to help cut down on error rates in patient data, as well as make it easier for providers to share vital health data with all parties that need to access it. With that in mind, here are the five biggest questions about Stage 2 Meaningful Use to help guide your efforts.
1. When Does Stage 2 Meaningful Use Start?
Health and Human Services released the requirements for Stage 2 Meaningful Use in 2012. You may have heard that eligible medical providers were supposed to begin Stage 2 Meaningful Use in 2013.
The government has recently pushed the starting period ahead, so it is now scheduled to begin for eligible professionals on January 1, 2014.
2. Why Has the Government Established Stage 2 Meaningful Use?
By requiring providers to meet the criteria of Stage 2 Meaningful Use, the government expects to see greater efficiencies, reduced errors and faster processing of important medical information.
What’s more, Stage 2 is designed to promote the sharing of more information to public health agencies to improve health surveillance across the nation.
3. What Are the Financial Incentives of Stage 2 Meaningful Use?
Eligible professionals using certified EHR software are entitled to receive as much as $44,000 from Medicare over five years of participation.
With Medicaid, eligible professionals are able to receive as much as $63,750 over a period of six years.
4. What Kind of Data Do We Need to Provide?
Examples of the kind of data that you’ll need to begin providing include using certified EHR software to submit medical surveillance information to public health agencies. All incidents of cancer will be reported to a centralized registry to help researchers in their battle against the illness.
You will also need to take and record the health history of the family of each of your patients, and make imaging results available through your EHR system.
5. How Do You Select EHR Software for Stage 2 Meaningful Use?
It’s a good idea to go with a software provider that has a proven track record of upgrading EHR applications, such as the talented professionals at ADS.
You will want the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your software developer is keeping on top of all the latest developments in the healthcare industry, as well as all regulatory requirements.
If you have experience demonstrating how you were meeting the criteria for Stage 1 Meaningful Use, you are already well on your way toward achieving the goals for Stage 2 Meaningful Use. As long as you use certified EHR software and train your staff, you should expect to make the transition fairly seamlessly.
Key Takeaways
- Medical providers stand to receive discounts as an incentive for meeting the requirements of Stage 2 Meaningful Use
- The government encourages providers to use certified EHR software for meeting the criteria of Stage 2 Meaningful Use.
- Your organization will need to provide more information than was required during Stage 1 Meaningful Use, so it’s prudent to plan ahead accordingly.
- You will want to go with a software company that has the knowledge, experience and skills to stay on top of all government requirements for Stage 2 Meaningful Use
