DIVURGENT

The federal HIT Policy Committee met on Friday, August 14, 2009 in Washington DC to discuss meaningful use. The Committee released a timeline for the next 12 months to finalize a meaningful use definition:

• 3Q09: Develop process for updating meaningful use objectives and measures
– Tag 2011 measures relevant to specialties
• 4Q09: Conduct informational hearings to inform 2013 and 2015 criteria development
• 1Q10: Update 2013 and 2015 criteria
• 2Q10: Work with HIT Standards committee to ascertain availability of relevant standards
• 3Q10: Refine 2013 meaningful use criteria
• 4Q10: Assess industry preparedness for meeting 2011 and initial 2013 meaningful use criteria

The updates on meaningful use are as follows:

• Continue to use National Priorities Partnership (NPP) framework for meaningful use criteria
• Work with NPP and Healthy People programs to identify HIT-sensitive objectives and measures appropriate for meaningful use criteria (exemplars) in 2013 and 2015
• Gather public input on identified gaps in measures needed for MU criteria
– Examples: specialists, smaller practices and hospitals, safety-net providers, patient-supplied information
• Assess industry initial response to 2011 MU program
• Refine 2013 and 2015 MU criteria
• Address barriers to EHR adoption and mitigation strategies

The Committee will hold an informational hearing on ‘meaningful use’ criteria for 2013-15 in October 2009. They will address gaps in appropriate measures for assessing meaningful use, criteria for specialists including: use of measures relevant to specialists, participation in national registries, development of new measures; and feedback & new ideas from provider organizations for meaningful use criteria for 2013& 2015 for the spectrum of physician practices, hospitals, and safety-net providers.

We are looking forward to the upcoming meetings and a final definition on meaningful use.

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