Manatt Professional Quoted on Final Stage 2 Meaningful Use Rules
"Some 'Ah-Ha' Moments in Stage 2 Rules"
Health Data Management
August 27, 2012 - Health Data Management quoted Manatt's Brenda Pawlak, a managing director with Manatt Health Solutions, on her impression of the provisions included in the final Stage 2 Meaningful Use rules.
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released its final regulations for the second stage of the Meaningful Use incentive program for electronic health records on August 23, 2012.
Pawlak was surprised about the very few real changes in the final Stage 2 rule from what was proposed. It's clear that federal officials listened to feedback on proposed rules from the industry, but they still managed to substantially stay the course, she said.
Most clinical quality measures remain, and the decrease of required patient-initiated actions in secure messaging and downloading, viewing or transmitting their information is not that meaningful, Pawlak believes. The bar is lowered on providers who need to get 5 percent of patients to view/download/transmit, but the burden also rises on them because they also have to get 5 percent of patients to initiate secure messaging.
Pawlak was also surprised to see use of an electronic medication administration record as a core measure in Stage 2 despite calls for it to be moved to Stage 3. "Providers are not opposed to eMAR, but it's a heavy lift on implementation and cost." She also calls "a really big deal" the requirement of electronic submission of meaningful use measures. "Providers have to get their arms around that."
Read the article here.