MGMA survey: Gov't should fully pilot meaningful use requirements
A survey from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) found that 76 percent of respondents from mostly independent medical practices believe that the government should fully pilot test the 2013 and 2015 meaningful use criteria before requiring them.
MGMA interviewed 445 individuals in medical groups to determine the ability of medical groups to meet the meaningful use requirements and qualify for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) EHR incentive programs. Most (80.1 percent of respondents) were in independent medical practices with one to five FTE physicians working in the practice (31 percent of respondents).
According to the report, 55.1 percent of respondents store patient information in an EMR system that stores patient and medical demographic information in a computer database. The next largest group of respondents was those that use paper medical records and charts storage (31.9 percent).
Fifty-one percent believe that Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments are important or very important to respondents' practice in establishing financial viability of an EMR upgrade or purchase, the report noted.
The survey asked respondents, using their best judgment, how easy or difficult it was or will be for their practices to meet certain meaningful use criteria by 2011. The majority of respondents (111) thought it was or will be easy to enable the functionality of a certified EMR to implement drug-drug, drug-allergy and drug-formulary checks. Ninety respondents thought that it would be difficult to use a certified EHR to implement five clinical decision support rules relevant to a physician’s specialty.
Eighty-one respondents thought it would be or was easy to use a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) feature of a certified EHR for at least 80 percent of all orders by 2011, the report found. However, 166 respondents thought it was or would be difficult or very difficult to perform at least one test of a certified EHR’s capability to electronically exchange clinical information among providers of care and patient authorized entities for their practice by this time.
Eighty-seven respondents believe that it was or will be difficult to use a certified EHR to send preventive and follow-up care reminders to at least 50 percent of all patients who are 50 years of age and older while 172 respondents, the majority of respondents, thought that it was or would be difficult or very difficult to use a certified EHR to fulfill at least 80 percent of all patient requests for an electronic copy of their health information within 48 hours.
MGMA reported that 189 respondents reported that it was or would be difficult or very difficult to use a certified EHR to provide at least 10 percent of all patients with electronic access to their health information within 96 hours of the information being available.
However, 158 respondents noted that their practice could or will easily create at least one report from a certified EMR that lists patients with a specific condition by 2011.
The greatest percentage of respondents (31 percent) estimated that productivity for an eligible provider implementing all of the 25 proposed meaningful use criteria would decrease more than 10 percent, the report concluded.
MGMA interviewed 445 individuals in medical groups to determine the ability of medical groups to meet the meaningful use requirements and qualify for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) EHR incentive programs. Most (80.1 percent of respondents) were in independent medical practices with one to five FTE physicians working in the practice (31 percent of respondents).
According to the report, 55.1 percent of respondents store patient information in an EMR system that stores patient and medical demographic information in a computer database. The next largest group of respondents was those that use paper medical records and charts storage (31.9 percent).
Fifty-one percent believe that Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments are important or very important to respondents' practice in establishing financial viability of an EMR upgrade or purchase, the report noted.
The survey asked respondents, using their best judgment, how easy or difficult it was or will be for their practices to meet certain meaningful use criteria by 2011. The majority of respondents (111) thought it was or will be easy to enable the functionality of a certified EMR to implement drug-drug, drug-allergy and drug-formulary checks. Ninety respondents thought that it would be difficult to use a certified EHR to implement five clinical decision support rules relevant to a physician’s specialty.
Eighty-one respondents thought it would be or was easy to use a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) feature of a certified EHR for at least 80 percent of all orders by 2011, the report found. However, 166 respondents thought it was or would be difficult or very difficult to perform at least one test of a certified EHR’s capability to electronically exchange clinical information among providers of care and patient authorized entities for their practice by this time.
Eighty-seven respondents believe that it was or will be difficult to use a certified EHR to send preventive and follow-up care reminders to at least 50 percent of all patients who are 50 years of age and older while 172 respondents, the majority of respondents, thought that it was or would be difficult or very difficult to use a certified EHR to fulfill at least 80 percent of all patient requests for an electronic copy of their health information within 48 hours.
MGMA reported that 189 respondents reported that it was or would be difficult or very difficult to use a certified EHR to provide at least 10 percent of all patients with electronic access to their health information within 96 hours of the information being available.
However, 158 respondents noted that their practice could or will easily create at least one report from a certified EMR that lists patients with a specific condition by 2011.
The greatest percentage of respondents (31 percent) estimated that productivity for an eligible provider implementing all of the 25 proposed meaningful use criteria would decrease more than 10 percent, the report concluded.