Stage 2 MU includes imaging

The recent announcement of the proposed rule for meaningful use Stage 2 finally came last month after much speculation about both the latest meaningful use regulations and when the new rule would emerge. Farzad Mostashari, MD, the national coordinator for health IT, made the big announcement during the 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference.

The proposed rule for Stage 2 seems to be more imaging-friendly than Stage 1. For example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are weighing the possibility of an exemption for providers, like radiologists, who lack control over the certified EHR technology at their practice locations.

Also of note, CMS has proposed imaging-related measures, including the accessibility of imaging results through EHR technology and the use of computerized phyisician order entry for radiology orders.

Saying "we’ve stayed the course,” while speaking at HIMSS, Mostashari added that a lot of the proposed rule is the result of listening to and learning from Stage 1 feedback. He identified patient engagement, information exchange and clinical decision support as the three biggest drivers of the proposed rule. “We’ve seen a remarkable increase in the adoption of EHR technology for outpatient providers and hospitals,” but exchange of information is still lacking. By 2014, when Stage 2 is in effect, “we’ll see a big push for standards-based exchange, because we can’t wait another five years.”

There is going to be a push on patient engagement, he said, as well as continuous quality improvement. “We take very seriously the president’s executive order to increase flexibility and decrease regulatory burden. We tried to be as flexible as possible.”

What do you think of the imaging regulations included in the proposed rule for Stage 2? Please share your thoughts.

Beth Walsh
CMIO Editor
bwalsh@trimedmedia.com