The letter is in response to a Request for Information on hospital and vendor readiness for EHR hospital inpatient quality data reporting, issued by the CMS. While CHIME thanks CMS for its efforts towards reaching a harmonized approach for clinical quality measurements and related reporting criteria, it is concerned that workflow and technology implications of accurate electronic quality reporting are not fully understood.
Data used by abstractors are often found in dictated reports or free form progress notes, not as structured data in the EHR. Without making the entire record structured or having mature text recognition software in place, one cannot extract the data needed to create accurate quality metrics, according to the CHIME.
More work should be undertaken to understand the workflow implications of EHR technology, CHIME wrote in the letter.
More Articles on EHR Implementation:
Medical Societies Urge HHS to Delay Drafting Stage 3 Meaningful Use Criteria
AHA Urges CMS, ONC to Improve Process for EHR Clinical Quality Measures
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