This document summarizes the HITECH Act and the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs. It explains that the HITECH Act provides incentives to help healthcare providers implement electronic health records (EHRs) through stages of "meaningful use" requirements. Providers can receive incentive payments for using certified EHR systems to meet objectives like e-prescribing, recording vital signs, and submitting clinical quality data. The document provides examples of meaningful use core and menu objectives for eligible professionals in stages 1 and 2. It also outlines clinical quality reporting requirements and maximum incentive amounts providers can receive through the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs.

1. Health
Communication
Project
Part 1
Diana Morah and Kevin
Leung

2. Regional Extension Center
Diana Morah
And
Kevin Leung

3. The healthcare systems is vastly
changing and the use of electronic
systems are in high demand.
Is your facility looking to start
implementing a new electronic
health information system?

4. Since use of electronic medical
recording is becoming vital, there
are now resources available to
make the startup to implementing
an electronic health information
system more attainable.

5. On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama
signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
(ARRA). Title XIII of ARRA, called the Health
Information Technology for Economic and Clinical
Health Act (HITECH).
This act seeks to bolster health IT to improve the
delivery of healthcare in the U.S. by incentivizing the
implementation of EHRs and meaningful use of them.
With various provisions and regulations, the Act
provides assistance, tools, and resources to providers
to allow for implementation and utilization of
electronic health records.

6. HITECH
Under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive
Programs, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals
can receive incentive payments for showing that they
have used certified EHR technology in ways that can
positively impact patient care. In order to do this,
hospitals must attest to the “meaningful use” of a certified
EHR by reporting on:
13 required core objectives
5 of 10 menu set objectives
15 clinical quality measures

7. Meaningful Use
To receive an EHR incentive
payment, providers have to show that they are
“meaningfully using” their EHRs by meeting
thresholds for a number of objectives.
All providers begin participating by meeting
the Stage 1 requirements for a 90-day period in
their first year of meaningful use and a full year
in their second year of meaningful use. After
meeting the Stage 1 requirements, providers
will then have to meet Stage 2 requirements for
two full years.

8. Meaningful use – Stage 1
Meaningful use includes both a core set and a menu set of objectives
that are specific to eligible professionals or eligible hospitals and CAHs.
 For eligible professionals, there are a total of 24 meaningful use
objectives. To qualify for an incentive payment, 19 of these 24
objectives must be met:
14 required core objectives
5 objectives chosen from a list of 10 menu set objectives.
 `For eligible hospitals and CAHs, there are a total of 23 meaningful
use objectives. To qualify for an incentive payment, 18 of these 23
objectives must be met:
13 required core objectives
5 objectives chosen from a list of 10 menu set objectives.

9. Meaningful Use – Stage 2
On September 4th, 2012, CMS published a final rule that
specifies the Stage 2 criteria that eligible professionals
(EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals
(CAHs) must meet in order to continue to participate in
the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record
(EHR) Incentive Programs.
All providers must achieve meaningful use under the
Stage 1 criteria before moving to Stage 2.

10. Examples of Eligible Professional (EP)
Meaningful Use Core Measures
Eligible Professional Core Objectives
 Generate and transmit permissible prescriptions electronically (eRx).
Record the following demographics: preferred
language, sex, race, ethnicity, date of birth.
 Record and chart changes in the following vital signs: height/length and weight
(no age limit); blood pressure (ages 3 and over); calculate and display body
mass index (BMI); and plot and display growth charts for patients 0-20
years, including BMI.
 Record smoking status for patients 13 years old or older.
 Incorporate clinical lab-test results into Certified EHR Technology as structured
data.
 The EP who transitions their patient to another setting of care or provider of care
or refers their patient to another provider of care should provide a summary care
record for each transition of care or referral.
 Capability to submit electronic data to immunization registries or immunization
information systems except where prohibited, and in accordance with
applicable law and practice.

11. Examples of Eligible Professional (EP)
Meaningful Use Menu Measures
Eligible Professional Menu Objectives
 Capability to submit electronic syndromic surveillance data to public
health agencies except where prohibited, and in accordance with
applicable law and practice.
 Record electronic notes in patient records.
 Imaging results consisting of the image itself and any explanation or
other accompanying information are accessible through CEHRT.
 Record patient family health history as structured data.
 Capability to identify and report cancer cases to a public health
central cancer registry, except where prohibited, and in accordance
with applicable law and practice.
 Capability to identify and report specific cases to a specialized registry
(other than a cancer registry), except where prohibited, and in
accordance with applicable law and practice.

12. Quality Reporting
 In addition to meeting the core and menu
objectives, eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and
CAHs are also required to report clinical quality
measures.
 Eligible professionals must report on 6 total clinical
quality measures: 3 required core measures (or 3
alternate core measures) and 3 additional measures
(selected from a set of 38 clinical quality measures).
 Eligible hospitals and CAHs must report on all 15 of
their clinical quality measures.

13. Eligible professionals can receive up to
$44,000 through the Medicare EHR Incentive
Program and up to $63,750 through the
Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.
REGISTER NOW!
Go to
https://ehrincentives.cms.gov

14. References
 Meaningful use. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.himss.org/meaningfuluse
 Overview of eligible professional (ep) and
eligible hospital types. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://ehrincentives.cms.gov/hitech/login.ac
tion
 Ehr incentive programs. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-
Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/i
ndex.html?redirect=/EHRIncentivePrograms/5
0_Registration.asp