On May 13, Keith J. Dreyer, DO, PhD, vice chairman of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, participated on behalf of the American College of Radiology (ACR) in a public hearing hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) HIT Policy Committee (HITPC) Meaningful Use (MU) Workgroup on "Meaningful Use and Specialists" in Washington, D.C.

As a panelist for the topic of “EHR Support for Specialists in Patient Care and CDS,” Dreyer’s testimony focused on imaging data access and exchange, appropriateness use criteria-based clinical decision support and the need for specialty-relevant MU measures.

“In terms of how EHRs can facilitate specialty care of patients, what immediately comes to my mind is that patients’ records must provide access to diagnostic images and related data,” Dreyer told the MU Workgroup members. “This access significantly benefits patients by reducing duplicative tests, thus reducing radiation exposure and healthcare costs.”

ACR’s concern about the clinical relevance of certain MU requirements was also reflected by other specialty societies, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American College of Surgeons and the College of American Pathologists. Though widely supported by physicians, specialty-specific MU requirements would require a paradigm shift in the program.

“EHRs would facilitate specialty care much more efficiently if there were alternative MU measures and EHR certification requirements focused on improving imaging care,” said Dreyer. "The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should allow radiologists to satisfy specialty objectives instead of other requirements that have no bearing on radiology practices.”

The MU workgroup is in the process of finalizing objective/measure recommendations to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT and CMS for the agencies’ upcoming stage two rulemakings. The agencies are free to use, or not use, the advice as they develop the stage two proposed rules later this year.