The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released the final requirements for Stage 2 meaningful use that hospitals and healthcare providers must meet in order to qualify for incentives in the second stage of the program. They also released the criteria that electronic health records must meet to achieve certification.
“The changes we’re announcing today will lead to more coordination of patient care, reduced medical errors, elimination of duplicate screenings and tests and greater patient engagement in their own care,” Kathleen Sebelius the Secretary of HHS said.
Stage 2 meaningful use, which will begin as early as 2014, increases health information exchange between providers and promotes patient engagement by giving patients secure online access to their health information.
More information from CMS on Stage 2 Meaningful Use, can be found here.