Meaningful Use: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions (Part III)

Last week we held a webinar intended to help with your Meaningful Use process: Troubleshooting Your Meaningful Use Reports.

Unsurprisingly, many of you had several questions regarding Meaningful Use as we understand that this can be a complicated process at times. To help make your attestation process easier, we've answered the most frequently asked Meaningful Use questions and have split it up into a four-part series

Our hope is that this can be a resource for your practice moving forward in your Meaningful Use attestation, no matter which stage you're currently at.

Meaningful Use FAQ Part III

• Answer: Gmail, Yahoo, etc. are NOT encrypted email accounts, therefore they do not meet the security requirements for direct message. Direct Messages have to be sent FROM an encrypted email account TO an encrypted email account. For more information on Direct Messaging,

• Answer: Please stay tuned to the November 18^th webinar where we will be showing you how to prep for a Meaningful Use attestation. In the meantime, please see the following blog on Meaningful Use Audit Prep: http://www.nextech.com/blog/meaningful-use-audits-preparation-is-the-name-of-the-game

• Answer: Yes, that is correct, this measure is looking for unique patients.

• Answer: Patients EMR problems should be linked with SNOMED codes for maximum impact.  In addition, you can also link them with your diagnosis codes.  Since Oct 1, 2016, ICD-10 diagnosis codes are required on all insurance claims.  You can update open or ongoing patient problems with the accurate ICD-10 codes but there is no need to try and update closed problems.

• Answer: There is no real need to update the items in your note, you just want to make sure that the items you are filling out are the items configured to the report so you’re getting credit for filling them out.

• Answer: The Meaningful Use report is looking at if the item was filled out in the EMN that was opened during the reporting period. So, for example, if a patient’s smoking status was entered last year, they are seen this year during the reporting period and the status didn’t change, you don’t have to un-answer this and then re-answer – the item is answered in the note, so that is what counts.

• Answer: Yes, the SNOMED codes and EMR problems will become even more important as we move forward with Meaningful Use and interoperability.

• Answer: If labs are ordered electronically and the results are attached electronically, they will show on the Clinical Summary when that is merged for the patient – no extra setup required.

• Answer: Several of the objectives have exclusions which can be found in the handouts that are available on the community portal.

• Answer: Yes, Meaningful Use is based on a provider’s individual NPI, so they can choose a separate reporting period from other providers in their group.