Meaningful Use for Nurses

This Stage 1 started from 2011-2012, its objective dealt with data capture and sharing, these sheets are providing these services to assist professionals and hospitals understand the requirements of each objective and demonstrate meaningful use success. This stage also allows qualified providers to receive their payment after fulfilling nine core objectives and one public health objective. The second stage of the Meaningful Use is Stage 2 started in 2014; it dealt with the advanced clinical processes. This Stage introduces new aims and measures, as well as higher entries; it also required health care providers to prolong EHR capabilities to a greater portion of their patient populations. The last stage of the Meaningful Use is Stage 3, this Stage it still in a building phase. Its objective will be focusing on improving quality, safety, efficiency, and leading to improved outcomes. Even though the details of this program have not been finalized, Meaningful Use Stage 3 will work to make the program easier to understand. It will provide the professionals (EPs) and hospitals the ability to exchange and use information between electronic health records, and improve patient outcomes. Based on the current timeline, healthcare providers have the choice to begin Stage 3 Meaningful Use in 2017 but are not permitted to use it until

The stage 1 of the meaningful use includes thirteen core criteria and ten menu set objectives. The first core criteria is the computerized provider order entry (CPOE). CPOE entails the provider’s use of computer assistance to directly enter medication orders from a computer or mobile device. The use of CPOE and the electronic prescription process is a technology that has been found to be helpful in preventing medication prescribing errors in several ways (Mominah & Househ, 2013). Having an accurate electronic patient medication profile will help prescribers and pharmacists review the medication history easily and consequently alert the pharmacist to communicate with the prescriber in case any unexplained change in the prescribed medication to the patient and then conforming the change with the prescriber. Applying CPOE technology reduces medication errors.

To achieve Stage 1 meaningful use of an EHR, providers must meet 15 core objectives and 5 objectives out of 10 from the menu set objectives. Providers must track the 3 required core Clinical Quality Measures (CQMs) on patients and identify at least 3 additional CQMs from the set of 38 CQMs on patients. Stage 2 requirements consist of continuations of stage 1 requirements, with heightened demands for the number of electronic transactions. Stage 2 impacts nursing, brings greater emphasis on disease management, clinical decision support, transition of care, documentation of care plans and patient access to health information (Guterl, 2012). Stage 3 is likely to follow the same format as its predecessors, with a divide between core (mandatory) and menu

These systems will also help cut down on medication errors by comparing the patient’s to medications or interventions so that it is given to the correct patient. Also documents the care given so there would be no human error in the case of questioning whether care had been given as long as the caregiver documents in the record. These features of the electronic health record are in place to promote patient safety by reducing errors.

According to Rosenbaum et al. (2015), healthcare documentation combined with clinical communication that is coded for hospitalized patients is an important part of medical care. The paper or electronic healthcare record is then submitted to third party payers that provide reimbursement for services based on the guidelines of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Severity Diagnosis Related Group (MS-DRG), and inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) (Rosenbaum et al., 2015). The

Going back hundreds of years, we can trace the history of health care. Although it has evolved over the years, it all has a common goal; to heal those who are ill. Technology is one of the major evolutions and now plays a big role in the health care system. It helps patients to be more involved with their healthcare. They can make appointments, follow up on test results, and contact their doctors. Back then, they didn’t even have all the medicine we have now, let alone the technology. We can only imagine what is in store for the future.

In 2010, Stage 1 was introduced which focused on EHR data and sharing. Healthcare providers were obligated to store health information electronically in a standardize format that allowed authorized providers and patients to easily access the info. Stage 2 began in 2014, this stage broadened the use of EHR software for health information exchange among providers which will feature enhanced integration for e-prescribing and lab results, increased sharing of patient care summaries, and continuing to encourage patients to engage in their care in order to earn the incentives. Stage 3 began in 2016 which was set out to improve outcomes. To improve the outcome of health for patients on a large scale, the quality of health information exchanged needed to be focused on, giving providers efficient and easy access to comprehensive patient data (LeGate, 2013).

MU stage 1 involves the acquisition and sharing of data and began in 2011 (Hebda & Czar, 2013). In order to meet MU standards, certain criteria must be met. Hospitals have 14 core requirements plus an additional 5 out of 10 requirements that must be met from a menu set (Hebda & Czar, 2013). Physicians must also demonstrate the use of electronic prescribing, the ability to provide patient lists by condition, and electronic progress notes (Hebda & Czar, 2013). Stage 2 of MU, which began in 2014, involves improved exchange of health information, enhanced requirements for including laboratory results, additional electronic prescribing standards, and an increase in patient access to their data ("How to attain Meaningful Use," 2013). Stage 3 of MU started in 2016 and consists of improving health outcomes through increased efficiency, quality, and safety; clinical

Within the Electronic Health Record program, the nurse has access to evidence-based practice tools that can assist the nurse in making decisions regarding the patients plan of care (Linder, J., Bates, D., Middleton, B., & Stanfford, R., 2007). The most important feature of the Electronic Health Record is the ability to instantly provide real-time patient-centered data to all authorized providers (HIT, 2013). The Electronic Health Record is real-time, providing nurses with the most up to the moment patient information the significance of this feature can be explained in the following example. For example, if a patient is in surgery, the patient's health record is available to the circulating nurse in the Operating Room, the Post Anesthesia Care Unit nurse and can be shared with the unit staff nurse the patient will be transferred to after recovering in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit. This is of particular importance because having access to the patient's chart, allows the nurses at each phase on the patient's care the ability to prepare supplies, gather necessary equipment and arrange for supplementary staff. Evidence-based practice suggests appropriate planning is a key factor in promoting positive, cost efficient patient outcomes (Anderson, 2012). In the profession of nursing when time is of the essence, and time loss can mean loss of a life, this is a feature that is very

Stage 2 enables patients to view online, download, and transmit their health information within 36 hours of discharge from a hospital and within 4 business days after visiting a physician. Also, providers through secure electronic messaging can communicate with a patient on relevant health information; therefore, data exchange helps to reduce duplications (Rinehart-Thompson, 2013, p. 13). “Meaningful Use Stage 3 will aim to simplify the program, drive interoperability between electronic health records, and improve patient outcomes” Based on the current timeline, providers have the option to begin Stage 3 Meaningful Use in 2017, but are not required until 2018” (Meaningful Use knowledge hub,

An Electronic Health Record is a computerized form of a patient’s medical chart. These records allow information to be readily available to authorized providers during a patient’s encounter with the healthcare system. These systems do not only contain medical histories, current medications and insurance information, they also track patients’ diagnoses, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images and lab tests/results (source). The fundamental aspect of EHRs is that they are able to share a patient’s information quickly across service lines and even between different healthcare organizations. Information is at the fingertips of lab techs, primary care physicians, pharmacies, clinics, etc. The

In the modern world technology is everywhere and it affects everyone’s daily life. People are constantly attached to cell phones, laptops, and other electronics, which all have affected how people live their lives. Technology is also a large part of the healthcare system today. There are many electronics and technologies that are used in health care, such as electronic health record, medication bar code scanning, electronic documentation, telenursing, and there are many more forms of technology that impact nursing. One technology that stands out is the electronic health record. The electronic health record, also referred to as EHR, is an electronic version of a patient’s chart, and it contains is a list of the patient’s current medications, allergies, laboratory results, diagnoses, immunization dates, images, treatments, and medical history (“Learn EHR Basics,” 2014). The purpose of the electronic health record is to have a patient’s health care record available to health care providers nationwide, but the patient can decide who has access to their record (Edwards, Chiweda, Oyinka, McKay, & Wiles, 2011). The electronic health record is a very important technology in health care and it impacts nurses, nursing care, and has a significant impact on patient outcomes.

I still remember the days before EHR were started. I was working as a Health Unit Coordinator, and was responsible for getting the patient’s charts together and all the required forms that will be used for the patient doing there admission. The charts were broken down upon patient discharge, and sent to medical records. The charts would have to be requested again from medical records in the event that the patient was admitted again at a later date, and the physicians and nurses would have to go through the charts to review the patient’s history. Health Care has come a long way since then. In this paper there will a discussion and examination on the current use of electronic health records and its relationship to health care. All of the providers and nurses that are responsible for the patient’s care, are able to review and share information on the patient. Any nursing care information that is beyond the basic compliance data, is not often included in the data that is being stored though EHR Today, nursing care data, beyond basic compliance data, is very seldom included in this data which is being stored electronically, even though there are studies that showing that including nursing problems will improve the accuracy of healthcare cost and patient outcomes. Welton, Halloran, and Zone-Smith (2006). By

The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe two health information and communication technologies (HICTs) and how they aid nurses in supporting safe, quality care, facilitating continuity of care and care coordination, and partnering with patients and families to increase participation in health care. HICT involves electronic creation, storage, exchange, and analysis of health information to advance delivery of health care. Widespread use of HICT within the healthcare industry can achieve the following goals: improve healthcare quality and safety, reduce costs and health disparities, enhance clinical research, and ensure security of patient health information (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2015). Several examples of HICTs include: electronic medical record systems, electronic prescribing, consumer health applications, and telehealth (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [AHRQ], 2015). Integration of HICTs in healthcare settings is valuable for all clinicians, but most importantly nurses as they are primary caregivers.

It is important to understand that patients are very satisfied with electronic health systems. For example, patients see a vast improvement in the speed at which they are being seen when they go their doctors’ office. Patients no longer have to wait on their physicians for hours due to the fact that their information can be readily available to their physicians when they come to see them. Moreover, all their information is transparent to their health care provider since all their data is in electronic form.