The Stage 2 rule for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs included changes to the Stage 1 meaningful use objectives, measures and exclusion for eligible professionals (EPs).
Effective January 1, 2013
Stage 1 Objective |
Changes to Objective |
Reporting Status |
Use Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) for medication orders directly entered by any licensed healthcare professional |
Added Alternative Measure: More than 30% of medication orders created by the EP during the EHR reporting period are recorded using CPOE. |
An EP may select either measure for this objective in Stage 1 in order to achieve meaningful use. (Note: This alternative measure will be required for all providers in Stage 2.) |
Generate and transmit permissible prescriptions electronically (eRx) |
Added Additional Exclusion: Any EPwho does not have a pharmacy within their organization and there are no pharmacies that accept electronic prescriptions within 10 miles of the EP's practice location at the start of his/her EHR reporting period.
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Reporting of exclusion is required. |
Record and chart changes in vital signs
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Changed Age Limitations on Growth Charts and Blood Pressure: More than 50 percent of all unique patients seen by the EP during the EHR reporting period have blood pressure (for patients age 3 and over only) and height and weight (for all ages) recorded as structured data. |
Reporting of this measure is optional. |
Record and chart changes in vital signs
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Changed: The age and splitting the EP exclusion. Any EP who (1) Sees no patients 3 years or older is excluded from recording blood pressure; (2) Believes that all three vital signs of height, weight, and blood pressure have no relevance to their scope of practice is excluded from recording them; (3) Believes that height and weight are relevant to their scope of practice, but blood pressure is not, is excluded from recording blood pressure; or (4) Believes that blood pressure is relevant to their scope of practice, but height and weight are not, is excluded from recording height and weight.
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Reporting of this exclusion is optional. |
Public Health Reporting Objectives
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Changed: All of the Stage 1 public health objectives (submitting data to an immunization registry, submitting data to a syndromic surveillance database, or submitting reportable lab results to a public health agency) will require that providers perform at least one test of their Certified EHR Technology’s capability to send data to public health agencies, except where prohibited. |
Reporting required for all Stage 1 public health objectives. |
Capability to exchange key clinical information (for example, problem list, medication list, medication allergies, and diagnostic test results), among providers of care and patient authorized entities electronically |
Changed: Objective now part of Stage 2.
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Reporting of this measure is mandatory. |
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