Preview Of Outcomes For Meaningful Use Stage 3
September 27, 2013
As eligible providers throughout the healthcare industry prepares for the start of Meaningful Use Stage 2 in January 2013 of the CMS EHR Incentive Program, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) is starting to design Meaningful Use Stage 3 requirements with a dual focus on EHR functionality and healthcare outcomes.
At the ONC’s recent Health IT Policy Committee meeting which happens to be the last meeting attended by outgoing ONC Cheif Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the Meaningful Use Workgroup presented several priorities that have emerged from recent committee discussions.
The goal the Meaningful Use Workgroup set for Stage 3 is “translating desired health outcomes into meaningful use functionality.”
Below is a snapshot of the Meaningful Use Workgroup ideas discussed so far:
IMPROVING QUALITY CARE AND SAFETY
Stage 3 Functionality Goals:
- All relevant data accessible through EHR
- Capability Design Specifications (CDS) supports timely, effective, safe, efficient care and prevention
- CDS helps avoid inappropriate care
Meaningful Use Outcome Goals:
- Patients receive evidence-based care
- Patients are not harmed by their care
- Patients do not receive inappropriate care
ENGAGING PATIENTS AND FAMILIES IN THEIR CARE
Stage 3 Functionality Goals:
- Provide patient and caregivers online access to health information
- Provide ability to contribute information in the record, including Patient Reported Outcome (PRO)
- Patient preferences recorded and used
Meaningful Use Outcome Goals:
- Patients understand their disease and treatments
- Patients participate in shared decision making
- Patients preferences honored across care teams
IMPROVING CARE COORDINATION
Stage 3 Functionality Goals:
- Relevant patient information is shared among healthcare team and patient, especially during transitions (site or provider)
- Goals, care plans, and interventions are shared and tracked
Meaningful Use Outcome Goals:
- All members of a patient’s care team (including professional healthcare team, patient, and caregivers), as authorized, participate in implementing coordinated care plan
IMPROVING POPULATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
Stage 3 Functionality Goals:
- Efficient and timely means of defining and reporting on patient populations to identify areas for improvement
- Shared information with public health agencies
Meaningful Use Outcome Goals:
- Providers know the status of their patients’ health
- Bidirectional public health data exchange
AFFORDABLE CARE
Stage 3 Functionality Goals:
- CDS support to avoid duplicate care
- CDS support to avoid unnecessary or inappropriate care
Meaningful Use Outcome Goals:
- Eliminate duplicative testing
- Use cost-effective diagnostic testing and treatment
- Minimize inappropriate care (overuse, underuse, and misuse)
REDUCING HEALTH DISPARITIES
Stage 3 Functionality Goals:
- Patient conditions are treated appropriately (e.g. age, race, sex, sexual orientation, and education)
Meaningful Use Outcome Goals:
- Eliminate gaps in quality of health and healthcare across racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic groups
