The Meaningful Use Workgroup, part of the Health IT Policy Committee that advises Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, has drafted recommendations for meaningful use stage 3 goals and criteria.
According to the recommendations, stage 3, scheduled for 2016 to 2017, should focus on using technology implemented in stages 1 and 2 to improve patient outcomes.
To this end, the workgroup recommends stage 3 address key gaps in electronic health record functionality, simplify meaningful use reporting requirements so that higher level objective compliance assumes subsumed process compliance and promote greater patient engagement.
Specific stage 3 objectives recommended include:
- Tracking more than 50 percent of medication orders electronically
- Providing the ability to electronically submit patient-generated data
- Tracking medical devices on 80 percent of implant patients
- Ensuring EHRs can assist with follow-up orders and identify potentially appropriate clinical trials
- Sending electronic notifications to a patient’s primary care provider or other member of the care team following a significant healthcare event (such as emergency department admission)
The report also suggested some objectives may need to be postponed to a future stage beyond stage 3.
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