According to the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), analytics is the scientific process of transforming data into insight for making informed decisions. The HIMSS Analytics Report released September 18, 2013 mentioned approximately 68% of hospitals who bought an EHR software through June of this year purchased from a certified vendor who “fit” the 2014 Edition certification criteria. The report was made possible by the not for profit organization of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Highlights of the report:
- At least 60% of hospitals in the sample have met the requirements for at least nine of the core metrics that define Stage 2 Meaningful Use
- 70 % of respondents across all metrics are actively moving toward , meeting Stage 2 ,Meaningful Use requirements
- Suggests industry is moving towards Stage 2 Meaningful Use and hospitals will be ready to begin attesting in 2014
- Research was based on 418 hospitals that provided the data from January- June of 2013
Meaningful Use and Risk Analysis
In order to qualify for Meaningful Use incentives CMS identified a core set of 14 Meaningful Use objectives in which eligible hospitals (EH) and 15 core Meaningful Use objectives in which eligible professionals (EP) need to focus to qualify for incentive funds provided through the new CMS Medicare and Medicaid incentive program. Additionally, EHs and EPs must also focus on five of 10 menu set objectives to quality for incentive funds.
An Eligible Hospital (EP) must attest to all 14 Core Measures of the Meaningful Use Stage 1 requirements in order to qualify for stimulus money. Core Measure #14 requires that organizations complete a series of activities, both initial and follow-on. It is important to note that there is no exclusion from Core Measure #14, that is, it is not an optional or excludable component of the attestation. Eligible professionals (EPs) must attest Yes to having conducted or reviewed a risk analysis in accordance with the requirements under 45 CFR 164.308(a)(1) and implemented security updates as necessary and corrected identified security deficiencies prior to or during the EHR reporting period to meet this measure. It is worth noting that Stage 2’s requirements continue to reinforce the importance of Privacy and Security by requiring encryption. All providers must achieve meaningful use under the Stage 1 criteria before moving to Stage 2.
The area of risk analysis is one that organizations must ensure that they are taking into consideration. Without undergoing this process and then using the outcomes to change use of controls and modifications within policies and procedures, organizations will not qualify for the Meaningful Use incentives.
Contact RISC Management and Consulting to learn more about our Meaningful Use services and Attestation: http://www.riscsecurity.com/
For more details, visit the HIMSS Analytics page and download the entire report: http://www.himss.org/News/NewsDetail.aspx?ItemNumber=22376
Click here for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs Stage 2 Toolkit: http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/Downloads/Stage2_Toolkit_EHR_0313.pdf
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