7 Recommendations For MU Stage 3
HIT Policy Committee announces list of late-stage recommendations for MU Stage 3
The HIT Policy Committee’s meaningful use workgroup plans on sending a list of feedback to the Policy Committee in March regarding recommendations for MU Stage 3. So far, seven new objectives not proposed for MU State 2 have been proposed.
According to HealthData Management, "Many of the objectives of Stage 3 are updates of objectives currently required in Stage 2, with the objectives generally being enhanced or remaining the same." Paul Tang, M.D., chair of the meaningful use workgroup, cautions that there “could be quite a bit of change” in the seven new recommendations because all feedback is being taken very seriously. The new recommendations currently include:
- Order Tracking for EP (Menu Item)
- Unique Device Identifier for EP and EH (Menu Item)
- Medication Adherence (Certification Criteria)
- Amendments (Certification Criteria)
- Patient Generated Health Data for EP and EH (Menu Item)
- Notification for EHs and Critical Access Hospitals (Menu Item)
- Case Reports (Certification Criteria)
As described by FierceEMR, “The Health IT Policy Committee's Meaningful Use workgroup is planning on recommending seven new objectives for Stage 3 of the MU program. At its latest meeting Feb. 11, the work group released its draft recommendations for objectives, acknowledging that interoperability was a ‘top priority’ and that four areas of emphasis were clinical decision support, patient engagement, care coordination, and population management."
"The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has reversed its position on the timeline for implementing the MU incentive program, and will propose an extension of Stage 2 through 2016 and beginning Stage 3 in 2017 for those providers that have completed at least two years in Stage 2," describes FierceHealthIT. "This timeline allows for enhanced program analysis of Stage 2 data to inform the new improvements in the care delivery outcomes in Stage 3."
Further explained by Healthcare IT News, "While health IT stakeholders consider the potential challenges of Stage 3 over the next year, Congress may end up coming back into progress with new ideas - and redesign the entire system for how Medicare pays and provides incentives for physicians. In March, the HIT Policy Committee, headed by Karen DeSalvo, MD., will be approving Stage 3 recommendations and by this time next year, HHS will be working on final rules."