For those of you who read Hospital EMR and EHR but don’t read EMR and HIPAA (which from our latest survey is far too many of you), I wanted to highlight a series of blog posts by Mandi Bishop that I believe will be of extreme interest to those reading this site.
In this series called Eyes Wide Shut, Mandi gives some really amazing in the trenches views into how a large organization is dealing with the challenges of meaningful use and meaningful use stage 2 in particular.
Here’s a small sample from the latest entry in the series titled “Eyes Wide Shut: Meaningful Use Stage 2 Incentive Program Hardships“:
In my January update on Meaningful Use Stage 2 readiness, I painted a dismal picture of a large IDN’s journey towards attestation, and expressed concern for patient safety resulting from the rush to implement and adopt what equates to, at best, beta-release health IT. Given the resounding cries for help from the healthcare provider community, including this February 2014 letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, I know my experience isn’t unique. So, when rumors ran rampant at HIMSS 2014 that CMS and the ONC would make a Meaningful Use announcement, I was hopeful that relief may be in sight.
Like AHA , I was disappointed in CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner’s announcement. The new Stage 2 hardship exemptions will now include an explicit criteria for “difficulty implementing 2014-certified EHR technology” – a claim which will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and may result in a delay of the penalty phase of the Stage 2 mandate. But it does nothing to extend the incentive phase of Stage 2 – without which, many healthcare providers would not have budgeted for participation in the program, at all, including the IDN profiled in this series. So how does this help providers like mine?
In that post, Mandi also tries to not just complain about the challenges they face, but also offer some solutions. You can see her full list of ideas in the post, but I especially like the simplicity of her last line “Consider applying the hardship exemption deadline extension to the incentive program participants.”
We need more in the trenches people like Mandi sharing their stories and solutions for others to see. Otherwise, the regulators sit in their office in DC and don’t know the details of why they should adjust. If you’re someone reading this that would like to tell your story as well, I’d be happy to give you the platform. Just drop me a note on our contact us page.
