CMS releases data in support of MU program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new data that demonstrate that doctors and hospitals are using EHRs to provide more information securely to patients and are using that information to help manage their patients' care.

Already, approximately 80 percent of eligible hospitals and more than 50 percent of eligible professionals have adopted EHRs and received incentive payments from Medicare or Medicaid through the Meaningful Use program.

By meaningfully using EHRs, according to the agency, healthcare providers prove they have been able to increase efficiency while safeguarding privacy and improving care for millions of patients nationwide. Since the EHR Incentive Programs began in 2011:  

• More than 190 million electronic prescriptions have been sent by healthcare providers using EHRs, reducing the chances of medication errors. 
• Healthcare professionals sent 4.6 million patients an electronic copy of their health information from their EHRs. 
• More than 13 million reminders about appointments, required tests or check-ups were sent to patients using EHRs. 
• Providers have checked drug and medication interactions to ensure patient safety more than 40 million times through the use of EHRs. 
• Providers shared more than 4.3 million care summaries with other providers when patients moved between care settings resulting in better outcomes for their patients. 

"Electronic health records are transforming relationships between patients and their healthcare providers," said CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. "EHRs improve care coordination, reduce duplicative tests and procedures, help patients take more control of their health and result in better overall health outcomes."

"More patients than ever before are seeing the benefits of their providers using electronic health records to help better coordinate and manage their care," said Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, national coordinator for health IT. "These data show that healthcare professionals are not only adopting electronic health records rapidly, they’re also using them to improve care."