Meaningful Use: Looking Onward to Stage 2

By Sanin Rahman

The proposed regulations for Stage 2 Meaningful are now in the final review period before being released this summer. Despite the deadline for achieving Stage 2 requirements being delayed until 2014, successfully attesting will remain a great challenge for providers who are already behind and trying to catch up.

Stage 1 of Meaningful Use is critical to a successful plan as the basic foundation of efficiently and effectively collecting patient data electronically.We should raise our collective glasses to the many providers who have already undertaken initiatives to adopt the first stage of Meaningful Use. For those who have yet to do so, I have a note of caution — Stage 2 will be upon us before we know it, and achieving Stage 1 and becoming comfortable with it is crucial to succeeding in the future stages of Meaningful Use. So, please make haste because time really is running out.

As you are embarking on this journey, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

• Pick a vendor that you will want to stick with long-term
• Address workflows early in the process to make sure that your practice can continue these practices for the long-haul
• Work in teams, instead of putting all the responsibility of data capture on the providers’ shoulders
• Don’t depend solely on traditional training mechanisms