The Top challenges providers face while Achieving Meaningful Use

Making the decision to participate in the incentive program designed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services does not come without its challenges. Providers trying to achieve Meaningful Use can possibly encounter roadblocks that interfere with and slow down their progress – but the right software solutions can help providers avoid these obstacles.

According to a new study published in Medical Care, there are a number of common challenges that healthcare providers face, which are related to the Meaningful Use program. There are multiple suggested solutions to handle the upcoming tasks.

Patient smoking status reporting
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 19 percent of all adults in the United States use tobacco. One of the main steps for achieving the first stage of Meaningful Use is for providers to record the smoking statuses of patients over the age of 12. The new study, led by former National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari, highlighted the reporting of smoking statuses as a top challenge for physicians. Electronic Health Records software can facilitate the tracking and recording of smoking statuses.

Clinical summary measurement
For every patient visit that occurs, medical practices that are striving for compliance of the Meaningful Use program must provide summaries of the clinical procedures conducted during the appointment. As dictated by CMS, patients should have a recorded summary of more than 50 percent of all office visits within three business days. Similar to reporting smoking statuses, physicians should be sure that their staff is properly trained in securely transmitting patient health information and talking to patients about the data.

In order to achieve this measure, practices can implement patient portals within their EHR/EMR systems that are unique to each individual who visits their office. Uploading information to the portal and sharing it with patients could expedite the process necessary for providing clinical summaries after appointments.

Security risk analysis
With the adoption of EHR software, there are potential security risks. The digital age, while beneficial to improvements in the quality and delivery of care, has also come with its specific challenges – mainly the threat of data leaks. Patient records contain sensitive information that can be exploited if unauthorized individuals gain access to health data.

The study showed that physicians felt their biggest challenge was conducting thorough analysis of security risks within their operating systems. Typically, small practices do not have their own IT staff or lack the expertise necessary to provide their own security. As such, providers should be looking for external guidance and training to ensure that risks are properly mitigated and controlled. Well developed EHR Software uses measures to help avoid the potential for breaches in data security. Check with your vendor to verify that they are taking those measures to protect your patient data.

Help from HIMSS
Managing and facing these challenges may be difficult for some practices, but there are resources available to ease the process. The Health Information and Management System Society has numerous resources on their website for providers to access and utilize.

The tools provided by HIMSS are in place to help practices successfully implement the standards of Meaningful Use in a timely manner and receive incentive payments without fear of penalties. Providers are able to review the specific criteria necessary to the program and design strategies that coincide with achieving Meaningful Use using medical software. Using this data to approach EHR vendors can facilitate the decision making process and help ease concerns with the requirements for compliance.

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