ONC releases guidance on Stage 2 transition of care

A recently released Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) guidance offers advice on how health information exchange organizations and health IT service providers can support providers in meeting EHR Meaningful Use Stage 2 transition of care measures.

Under transition of care Measure 2, entities must provide a summary care record for more than 10 percent of transitions and referrals using certified EHR technology or through an information exchange. This step precedes Measure 3, which requires entities to either conduct one or more successful exchanges of a summary of care document with a recipient who has EHR technology designed by a different developer or conduct one or more successful tests with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The guidance delves into the following topics:

• How to use push services to support transition of care Measure 2 with or without health information exchange organization certification; and
• How to use query to support transition of care Measure 2 with no health information exchange organization certification.

The guidance reflects CMS’s expectations in meeting these measures when conducting audits. “While CMS will issue formal audit guidelines later in the year, planning now to meet these requirements is crucial,” according to the guidance.