CPeH, which represents more than 127 millions consumers, patients, caregivers, seniors and other stakeholders, expressed disappointment in weakened stage 2 meaningful use requirements for secure messaging and patient use of online access. These reductions stall progress that would change practice workflow and clinical culture to support increased patient engagement, the comments say.
“We must transform our healthcare system so it delivers better care and better outcomes at lower cost, but we will not be able to do that unless we engage patients as partners in their care in genuine, authentic ways,” Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, which leads CPeH, said in a statement. “Patients need tools to set healthcare goals, make informed decisions and communicate with providers and this is where health IT makes a critical difference: It helps connect 21st century patients with 21st century care. The meaningful use program has been an important lever for advancing patient- and family-centered health IT, and we urge CMS to maintain that momentum by keeping the program strong, now and in the future.”
CPeH’s comment letter concludes with the following set of recommendations:
• Retain full-year reporting for 2018 and beyond to support uninterrupted progress for patients and families.
• Require eligible providers to meet all measures and associated thresholds.
• Incorporate patient and family engagement and care coordination measures, such as providing access to and ensuring patient use of view, download and transmit functionalities; using secure messaging; capturing patient-generated health data; and incorporating summaries of care.
• Add requirements for providers to use functionalities from the 2015 Certified Edition of Health IT, including person-centered electronic longitudinal care plans, health information in non-English languages and links to community resources and supports.
The full set of CPeH comments are available here.
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