CMS Releases Stage 2 Meaningful Use Requirements

Recently, CMS released the requirements for Stage 2 Meaningful Use. These requirements amended the compliance dates set forth in Stage 1, allowing providers more time to meet Stage 2 criteria. Now, a provider that attested to Stage 1 in 2001 will attest to Stage 2 in 2014—not 2013.

There are new core objectives for Eligible Professionals and Eligible Hospitals/Critical Access Hospitals. Eligible Professionals must use secure electronic messaging to communicate with patients on relative health information; and Eligible Hospitals must automatically track medications from order to administration, using assistive technologies in conjunction with an electronic medication administration record.

The reporting of Syndromic Surveillance data is mandatory in Stage 2 for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals. Eligible professionals are excluded from this requirement because most public health agencies are not equipped to receive data from this group.

This quick overview only touches on some of the most important updates to the Meaningful Use requirements. Please visit the CMS website to read more about the new dates, new core objectives, and specific guidelines that are most relevant to you and your work.

About Health Monitoring Systems, Inc.

HMS (http://www.hmsinc.com) is a privately held company specializing in healthcare data analysis. The company processes and analyzes health‐related data in real time via a Software‐as‐a‐Service (SaaS) approach. Using this approach, HMS enables clients to increase their understanding of regional health conditions, improve quality and efficiency, and ensure regulatory compliance.