After languishing in the single digits for many years, hospital EHR adoption rates are dramatically increasing. A major driver is the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, or the “Meaningful Use” program. A recent Health Affairs study suggested hospital participation in the program was lagging. In this post, we report the latest data, which paint a different picture — as of July 2013, two-thirds of hospitals have achieved Stage 1 Meaningful Use, and nearly all are engaged with the program in some way.
The incentive programs were designed to support greater adoption and use of EHRs, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care and health system outcomes. Eligible hospitals have received $9 billion in incentive payments since the programs began in 2011. Starting in 2015, eligible hospitals that do not demonstrate Meaningful Use will be subject to Medicare payment penalties. Beyond the Meaningful Use incentives, the extent to which hospitals are able to adopt and use health IT will have implications for their ability to successfully participate in new payment and delivery models and to improve care and outcomes.
Given the stakes and the rapidly changing landscape, regularly tracking progress towards widespread EHR adoption and use is important. New hospitals join the ranks of those who have achieved Meaningful Use each month, and important program milestones are near. To receive the maximum possible Medicare incentive amount, hospitals must achieve Meaningful Use Stage 1 by the end of 2013. Providers that achieved Stage 1 by the end of 2012 will move to Meaningful Use Stage 2 in 2014.
Here, we present the most recent trends in hospital engagement with the EHR incentive programs, assessing participation overall and whether all types of hospitals are moving forward at the same pace. We include data from both the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) Regional Extension Center program, which is providing technical assistance to Critical Access Hospitals and small rural hospitals that are working toward Meaningful Use.
Want to publish your own articles on DistilINFO Publications?
Send us an email, we will get in touch with you.
Overall, what are the latest trends in hospital progress towards Meaningful Use?
As of July 2013, two-thirds of hospitals had successfully achieved Stage 1 Meaningful Use, and an additional 16 percent had received Medicaid incentive payments for adopting certified EHR technology (Figure 1). When viewed as a share of acute care hospital beds or discharges, Meaningful Use attainment was even more widespread.
Of the remaining 17 percent of hospitals that had not yet qualified for an incentive payment, more than half had either registered for the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs or enrolled with a Regional Extension Center, demonstrating awareness of the incentive programs and signaling they are working towards Meaningful Use.
Date: October 15th, 2013