CMS Releases Stage 2 Meaningful Use Requirements

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Last week, CMS released the requirements for Stage 2 Meaningful Use. As expected, they build upon Stage 1 requirements by making many of the “optional” Stage 1 requirements mandatory. Perhaps the most significant change in requirements is that the reporting of Syndromic Surveillance data is mandatory in Stage 2 for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals.

For now, eligible professionals are excluded from this requirement because most public health agencies are not equipped to receive data from this group.

Other updates: To qualify, Syndromic Surveillance data must be submitted for all of 2014, the “entire EHR reporting period.” Previously, data only needed to be submitted for 3 months.

For a list of facts regarding the updated requirements, please visit the CMS website.

Maintaining Focus on Community Health Surveillance

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With so much talk focused on Syndromic Surveillance, the overall picture of Community Health Surveillance seems to be getting lost.

Until the Meaningful Use guidelines were developed, the term “Syndromic Surveillance” wasn’t typically utilized. Its connotation is less community-centered and more focused on single issues.

In short, the requirement to achieve Syndromic Surveillance requirements may be overshadowing the bigger view of Community Health Surveillance.

At Health Monitoring Systems, we are planning for the future of Community Health Surveillance by providing our clients with information beyond Syndromic Surveillance.

We can help you to monitor air quality, drinking water quality, poison control center, and chronic disease data—information that provides a well-rounded view of your community’s overall health.

Our goal, like yours, is to provide timely, relevant information that matters most when it comes to overseeing public health. Contact us today to learn more.

EpiCenter Helps Public Health Officials to Investigate Cause of Foodborne Outbreak

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When a foodborne outbreak was suspected in New Jersey last week, Health Monitoring Systems’ EpiCenter Syndromic Surveillance system helped public health officials in the state to further investigate the outbreak’s cause and point of origin.

Three cases of foodborne illness were reported at a major medical center emergency room, leading the Middlesex County Health Department Epidemiologist to contact other local hospitals to see if similar symptoms were reported in their ERs. After running a report through EpiCenter, it was discovered that two other hospitals had admitted patients complaining of the same symptoms.

“We’re pleased that EpiCenter helped the public health professionals in New Jersey to quickly identify the foodborne illness outbreak,” says Kevin Hutchison, Health Monitoring Systems’ President and CEO.

“EpiCenter provides health professionals with the resources needed to manage public health outbreaks in real-time. The success of this detection comes only a few months after our successful collaboration with the state of New Jersey to measure the health impacts of Hurricane Irene—the results of which will help the state and its residents to better prepare for future weather-related health events.”

UK Health Protection Agency Unveils Upgraded Syndromic Surveillance System for Olympic Games

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Just in time for the 2012 London Olympic Games, The UK Health Protection Agency has made upgrades to its syndromic surveillance system—including a new emergency department system and an urgent care system.

Events that bring together hundreds of thousands of fans from countries all around the world have the potential to harbor a disease outbreak. Real time syndromic surveillance makes it possible to track and respond to such an outbreak.

As many of you know, RODS, a software and a research lab at the University of Pittsburgh, provided the first demonstration of syndromic surveillance at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. At the time, one of the biggest fears in the wake of September 11, 2001 was a bioterrorism attack. Over 114,000 acute care visits were monitored in Salt Lake City during the time of (and shortly after) the Olympic games. Thankfully, no outbreaks of significance were detected, according to a report published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

HMS routinely works with clients to monitor special events. The control and flexibility of EpiCenter combined with the responsiveness of our client services team, gives public health departments the opportunity to monitor everything form international conferences and festivals to natural disasters. This enables our clients to monitor potential outbreaks and analyze resulting data to develop strategies that improve public health.

What Does It Mean To Meet Meaningful Use Requirements?

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While Syndromic Surveillance is optional in Meaningful Use stage 1, it becomes mandatory in the currently proposed stage 2 requirements. Health Monitoring Systems’ syndromic surveillance systems enable our clients to meet meaningful use requirements—provided the data submitted meets several additional criteria.

So what are the requirements to meet those criteria?

Simply put, if the transmission established uses an ONC-certified EHR system and the method of transmission uses HL7 2.3.1 or HL7 2.5.1 message format, then your agency/office meets the stage 1 meaningful use criteria for syndromic surveillance, as defined by ONC and CMS.

However, if your EHR system is not ONC-certified and you are not sending HL7 2.3.1 or HL7 2.5.1 formatted messages, you are not meeting CMS Meaningful Use.

Need more information? Contact us to learn how we can assist you in meeting meaningful use requirements, and the public health needs, in your community.

Direct Project vs. HIEs: Maximizing the Value of a Healthcare Dollar

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Conceptually, most agree that HIEs (Health Information Exchanges) provide a means to improve healthcare delivery—especially on a regional basis.

So why would Tennessee decide to abandon its plans for a statewide HIE?

This question leads to other questions regarding HIEs, some of which we discussed in our past blog on HIEs: Do too many rights make a wrong?. First, how would an HIE fare in a cost/benefit analysis? Would it show a benefit in line with the time and money necessary to implement and maintain it?

And next, given the limited amount of money to fund HIEs, are there other initiatives that would show a greater return on investment from a healthcare standpoint?

Clearly for Tennessee the answers are “No” and “Yes.” As a result, the state has shifted its focus and resources toward ONC’s Direct Project—which promotes standards and protocols for the sending of secure and encrypted email messages, containing patient information, between healthcare providers.

The Direct Project is a low-cost solution that has shown quick, positive results. It helps hospitals and eligible professionals to meet Meaningful Use requirements. And it appeals to physicians and medical offices that do not yet utilize electronic health records. These professionals and offices stand to benefit from sending and receiving patient information via email.

While significant amounts of (primarily Federal) money has continued to flow into the development of HIEs, Tennessee’s decision presents an interesting contrast and will hopefully lead to a broader discussion on maximizing the value of each dollar spent on healthcare initiatives.

Battle of the Network Acronyms

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We all know that acronyms are a quick way to reference many companies and government organizations (our personal favorite is, of course, HMS). But trying to wade through a Meaningful Use document containing 15 different acronyms can be challenging. To help you gain a clearer picture of the key players in Meaningful Use implementation, HMS will occasionally blog on the agencies—and their acronyms—that we all should know about.

This week, we’ll showcase the connection between CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and ONC (Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology).

CMS set the rules for the “Electronic Health Records Incentive Program,” which evolved into today’s Meaningful Use requirements. Meeting these requirements qualifies an eligible hospital or professional to receive Medicaid incentive payments from CMS.

ONC coordinates the implementation of health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. ONC is responsible for creating the standards for—and certifying—Electronic Health Records (also known as EHR).

In order to meet the CMS’ Meaningful Use requirements, hospitals and eligible professionals must utilize information technology certified by ONC.

Regularly updated lists of approved providers/products are available on ONC‘s website.

 

Surveillance and notification – a winning combination for physician practices

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HealthBridge, one of our partners in providing syndromic surveillance for the Ohio Department of Health, recently unveiled a new service that will alert physicians when one of their patients have an emergency room visit or admission to the hospital.

The system, ED Admit Alert, is a participant in the federal government Beacon Community Program—working as a model for information technology adoption. The ED Admit Alert system operates in real time, immediately notifying a physician when a visit or admission happens.

HMS recognizes the value of ED Admit Alert, particularly its close relationship to the function of syndromic surveillance. We believe that this function would add value to syndromic surveillance systems when ambulatory care patients and in-patients are added to emergency department surveillance.

One of the challenges to public health—when it comes to recruiting hospitals to participate in a syndromic surveillance system—is demonstrating value back to healthcare providers. ED Admit Alert’s notifications are an excellent example of how data can be meaningfully used to providers’ benefit.

Additionally, increasing oversight of readmissions and the advent of Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) have forced providers to look at their data much more carefully. Utilizing a system such as ED Admit Alert, in conjunction with a syndromic surveillance system, will provide more comprehensive data analysis capabilities. Operating in real-time, a surveillance and notification combination could immediately process and alert constituencies to events of interest.

ED Admit Alert and the information that it will provide to primary care practices will benefit patients, public health, and physicians themselves. It’s a positive step toward more effective public health maintenance and oversight.

 

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists' Annual Conference

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Next week, over 1,000 Public Health professionals are expected to attend The Council of State andTerritorial Epidemiologists’ (CSTE) Annual Conference in Omaha. Kicking off on June 3, the conference is a 5-day event that includes workshops, sessions with Public Health leaders, breakout sessions, and roundtable discussions.

HMS will once again be exhibiting at the conference to discuss EpiCenter, our Syndromic Surveillance system, with epidemiologists and Public Health professionals from across the country.

We will be in Booth 207 from June 4-5 and are looking forward to meeting those of you who we haven’t yet met in person. Stop by, say hello, and pick up a special take-home gift from us.

When we get back, we’ll blog about the conference and the sessions we attended.

Kicking off Summer – Syndromic Surveillance and Anomalies

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Memorial Day signifies the beginning of the summer season—and with it, public health issues that typically peak in the summer months. This can include anything from asthma attacks to jellyfish stings and hospital visits related to a significant weather event.

EpiCenter, HMS’ syndromic surveillance system, allows you to monitor these issues to determine if the number of occurrences are higher or lower than typically seen. For example, last year when meteorologists predicted that Hurricane Irene would make a significant impact in New Jersey, the state’s Department of Health & Senior Services contacted HMS to request that a classifier be added to EpiCenter—to identify hurricane-related ER visits. Hospitals across the state were notified that they should add the word “Irene” in any ER admissions related to the hurricane. This provided the state with valuable information on the types of illnesses occurring as a direct result of the hurricane.

Contact us if you’d like to customize your EpiCenter subscription to add a classifier that can better assist you in monitoring public health. And enjoy your holiday weekend!