Last week, CMS released new data on participation and incentive payments under the meaningful use program, Health Data Management reports.
Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
Data on Meaningful Use Participation
According to the new data, 436,000 eligible professionals and hospitals have registered for the meaningful use programs since it launched in 2011 (Health Data Management, 1/31). Of those health care providers, 334,000 have received financial incentives for successfully meeting meaningful use requirements.
The data also show that 82% of all eligible professionals have registered for the program and 93% of hospitals are participating.
Data on Eligible Professionals
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According to CMS, eligible professionals in 2013 exceeded many thresholds for meeting several Stage 1 core and menu objectives. For example:
- 97.7% of eligible professionals provided electronic copies of health information;
- 97.2% kept an active patient medication list;
- 96.6% maintained a medication allergy list;
- 92.5% provided transition of care summaries;
- 92.6% provided active medication reconciliation lists; and
- 82.4% kept clinical summaries.
However, eligible professionals struggled with a couple of menu objectives. For example, only:
- 33.6% of eligible professionals submitted data to immunization registries; and
- 6.1% submitted syndromic surveillance data.
Data on Eligible Hospitals
The CMS data show that eligible hospitals also have been successful in meeting many of the core and menu objectives. Specifically:
- 98.1% of eligible hospitals maintained a medication allergy list;
- 98% kept an active medication list;
- 96.9% recorded patient demographics;
- 95.6% recorded advance directives;
- 95.6% included clinical lab results in EHR data;
- 92.3% recorded vital signs; and
- 83.5% maintained a computerized provider order entry system.
The least-adopted objectives for hospitals were:
- Medical reconciliation, at 8.7%; and
- Providing lab data to public health agencies, at 12.3% (Freeman, EHR Intelligence, 1/31).
Date: February 3, 2014