Stage 1 of Meaningful Use has been criticized by some as simply encouraging EMR vendors, hospitals, and physicians to "check off boxes" in order to be eligible for government incentives. These critics look at Stage 1 and ask how the hodge-podge of "requirements" (many of which are still very optional) will really lead to better patient outcomes. By all accounts, CMS and ONC intend to use Stage 2 and Stage 3 to correct that perception.
Patient education -- just one small example
One simple example of this is in patient education leaflets that are mentioned in Stage 1. These pamphlets are intended to give important information to patients to help them better manage their own health and be more informed when they visit healthcare providers. Some of the most commonly distributed patient education materials are those related to prescription drugs, and they include information on dosage precautions and administration, potential adverse drug events, allergy symptoms and so on.
It's not even required to supply patient education materials to qualify for Stage 1 -- instead, it's an optional item in a menu set. Even if providers do choose the patient education menu option, the bar is very low. Providers need only supply patient-specific materials to 10% of patients. It's easy to see how critics may find fault with this.
But beefed up requirements are on the way!
Workgroups have been hashing out details of what will be required in Stage 2, and their proposed requirements are expected later this summer. Patient education is one area they've been discussing. Published minutes and transcripts from the workgroup meetings reveal that patient education will now be required for everybody, and that the percentage of patients who receive it will be drastically increased -- up to 80%. The Stage 1 requirement was clearly just to develop the functionality. Stage 2 is where the rubber meets the road.
But that's not all yet! The workgroups are additionally talking about better and more relevant patient education. One point of discussion has been providing the materials in "common primary languages" for every metropolitan statistical area. This would require providers to have patient education available in any language that is spoken by 5% of the population they serve, or at least 1000 people in the same population -- whichever is lower. This is a big deal, and not every information vendor is in a position to deliver on this!
Lexicomp can help bridge the gap
Luckily, some vendors are. Lexicomp has long had patient education materials in many languages. At last count, they could provide up to 19 different languages commonly spoken in the United States and Canada. This is just one example of how a forward-thinking drug information vendor was able to anticipate and meet advanced requirements before they were even formulated. So when evaluating vendor partnerships for your EMR or HIS system, it's not enough to find one who can check off boxes. Instead, you need to find a vendor with the same commitment to improving patient care that ONC and CMS are seeking.
Patient education -- just one small example
One simple example of this is in patient education leaflets that are mentioned in Stage 1. These pamphlets are intended to give important information to patients to help them better manage their own health and be more informed when they visit healthcare providers. Some of the most commonly distributed patient education materials are those related to prescription drugs, and they include information on dosage precautions and administration, potential adverse drug events, allergy symptoms and so on.
It's not even required to supply patient education materials to qualify for Stage 1 -- instead, it's an optional item in a menu set. Even if providers do choose the patient education menu option, the bar is very low. Providers need only supply patient-specific materials to 10% of patients. It's easy to see how critics may find fault with this.
But beefed up requirements are on the way!
Workgroups have been hashing out details of what will be required in Stage 2, and their proposed requirements are expected later this summer. Patient education is one area they've been discussing. Published minutes and transcripts from the workgroup meetings reveal that patient education will now be required for everybody, and that the percentage of patients who receive it will be drastically increased -- up to 80%. The Stage 1 requirement was clearly just to develop the functionality. Stage 2 is where the rubber meets the road.
But that's not all yet! The workgroups are additionally talking about better and more relevant patient education. One point of discussion has been providing the materials in "common primary languages" for every metropolitan statistical area. This would require providers to have patient education available in any language that is spoken by 5% of the population they serve, or at least 1000 people in the same population -- whichever is lower. This is a big deal, and not every information vendor is in a position to deliver on this!
Lexicomp can help bridge the gap
Luckily, some vendors are. Lexicomp has long had patient education materials in many languages. At last count, they could provide up to 19 different languages commonly spoken in the United States and Canada. This is just one example of how a forward-thinking drug information vendor was able to anticipate and meet advanced requirements before they were even formulated. So when evaluating vendor partnerships for your EMR or HIS system, it's not enough to find one who can check off boxes. Instead, you need to find a vendor with the same commitment to improving patient care that ONC and CMS are seeking.
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