Meaningful Use
Is your office ready to attest
to attaining Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Record (EHR)
Technology?
Starting in February 2011, CIIS instituted a waiting list for new
providers who want to participate in the immunization registry and
attest to Meaningful Use. We are moving down the list in the
order in which offices were added to the queue. It is nearly
impossible for us to give you an exact timeline for when your office
will be able to access CIIS as several steps in the implementation
process are dependent upon providers and EHR vendors responding to
us in a timely manner. Please know that we are working as
expeditiously as possible, and we thank you for your continued
patience.
There are several steps that you can take NOW to prepare your
office for Meaningful Use attestation while CIIS works through its
long waiting list.
- Contact your CO-REC Partner Organization and
ensure that they know you have selected "Submit Electronic Data
to Immunization Registries" as your Public Health Objective.
What is Meaningful Use?
In July 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the final rules to implement the provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), allowing for incentive payments to healthcare providers and hospitals who demonstrate the meaningful use of certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology. Certified EHR technology used in a meaningful way is one piece of a broader health information technology infrastructure needed to reform the health care system and improve health care quality, efficiency, and patient safety.
The Medicare and Medicaid Programs Electronic Health Record Incentive Program Final Rule 1 contains the following objective and measure relating to immunization information systems in its Stage 1 criteria for meaningful use:
- Objective: Capability to submit electronic data to immunization registries or immunization information systems and actual submission in accordance with applicable law and practice.
- Measure: Performed at least one test of certified EHR technology's capacity to submit electronic data to immunization registries and follow up submission if the test is successful
This capability to submit electronic data to immunization information systems using HL7 (Health Level 7) messaging standards and CVX message vocabulary for identifying vaccines is one of three public health objectives that can help a provider achieve meaningful use. For more information about other objectives as well as details about the EHR incentive payment programs, please visit
www.cms.gov/EHRIncentivePrograms.
Not sure which EHR to implement in your practice in order to achieve meaningful use?
The Colorado Regional Extension Center (CO-REC) can help!
CO-REC is an initiative of the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization (CORHIO) - the state designated entity for Health Information Exchange (HIE) dedicated to improving health care quality for all Coloradans. CO-REC assists primary care providers in adopting, implementing and becoming meaningful users of Electronic Health Record systems.
Purchasing an EHR for your office can be frustrating and overwhelming. CO-REC, along with its partner organizations, will pursue a comprehensive strategy to support small primary care providers and specific hospitals to achieve meaningful use by providing the following services at
NO charge:
- Effectively select, implement and meaningfully use an EHR
- Provide standard contract language for EHRs and negotiated pricing including standard interfaces
- Assist with progress towards meaningful use of an existing EHR
- Help optimize your office workflow to ensure improvements in the quality of care
- Educate you on EHR contract language regarding Health Information Exchange (HIE) interfaces before you select your EHR so that you can position your practice to take full advantage of interoperability
- Protect the integrity, privacy and security of your patients' personal health information
- Help you meet the qualifications for incentive payments for Medicaid or Medicare
Get started today! Visit
www.corhio.org or contact Robyn Leone at
corec@corhio.org or 720-285-3245 for more information.
Providers: Do you want to
attest to Meaningful Use by submitting immunization data to CIIS?
Follow our steps to achieve
Meaningful Use! |
