Meaningful Use

Portrait of Matthew Swain

New Report Finds E-Prescribing Is on the Rise

Matthew Swain | November 27, 2012

One giant leap forward in the transformation of health care is the use of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) to reduce mistakes, control costs, and better coordinate care. E-prescribing has been found to improve patient care and safety by preventing medication errors that are associated with paper prescriptions. Recognizing the importance of e-prescribing in improving patient care, part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program provides incentive payments for certain eligible health care providers who e-prescribe as part of meeting the meaningful use requirements that rely on certified EHR technology.

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Portrait of Deven McGraw

Meeting Patient Engagement Objectives of Meaningful Use Stage 2: Credentialing Patients

Deven McGraw | November 8, 2012

**UPDATE** The Privacy and Security Tiger Team of the Health IT Policy Committee, and the Privacy and Security Working Group of the Health IT Standards Committee, will host a web hearing on credentialing patients on November 29, 2012 from 12pm to 4pm.
Giving patients access to their health information—and providing them with tools to electronically communicate with their clinical care team—is critical to making health care more patient-centered. 

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Portrait of Steven Posnack

Announcing the 2014 Meaningful Use Objectives Quick Reference Grids

Steven Posnack | November 6, 2012

Almost 2 years ago, ONC released meaningful use quick reference grids to capture—in one place—how meaningful use Stage 1 objectives and measures correlated with adopted 2011 Edition EHR certification criteria.  We’re pleased to announce the 2014 versions of these grids, which are back by popular demand, and posted on HealthIT.gov (look under the “ONC Resources” heading).

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Portrait of Jesse C. James

Federal Agencies Share Resources and 2014 Clinical Quality Measures

Jesse C. James | October 26, 2012

CMS, ONC and other Federal agencies have been working to leverage emerging health information technology (health IT) in the Medicare and Medicaid programs to improve the quality of care that is available to their beneficiaries. In Meaningful Use Stage 2, a key component of this work is electronic reporting of quality data to CMS and the certification of electronic health record (EHR) technology to ensure the accurate capture, calculation, and reporting of electronic clinical quality measures (eCQMs).

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Portrait of Mat Kendall

Accelerating Progress on Adoption and Meaningful Use of Health IT among Critical Access Hospitals and Small Rural Hospitals

Mat Kendall | September 26, 2012

An accident happens on a farm and a man is taken to the nearest hospital, a tiny Critical Access Hospital, the only urgent care facility in the area, an hour drive over unpaved roads from any other hospital. The medical team stabilizes the patient and then sends him by helicopter to the nearest tertiary care hospital. What if the Critical Access Hospital could electronically transmit the patient’s medical record, including his lab and imaging results, to the tertiary care hospital while the patient is still in flight?

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