4 reasons why meeting meaningful use is easier than you think

Why This Topic Matters

Meaningful use participation affected EHR incentive payments and required practices to understand CMS reporting expectations. A high-level review of common measure areas helps readers gauge whether the article is relevant to their workflow, compliance planning, or implementation support needs.

Article Sections

1. Introduction

   Sets the context for physician participation in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and introduces practical observations from providers who have completed the process.

2. 1. Clinical summaries can be paper

   Discusses one of the core meaningful use measures and the general idea of providing visit-related summary information in a printable format.

3. NOTE: A seemingly similar core measure requires you to furnish patients with an electronic copy of their health information

   Compares a related electronic-information requirement with the clinical summary measure and notes the type of information involved at a broad level.

4. 2. Recording vitals can be excluded

   Covers a core measure involving vital sign documentation and the circumstances in which an exclusion may be relevant for some specialties.

5. 3. Tests of electronic exchange of clinical information can fail

   Describes a core measure involving electronic exchange testing, along with related menu-measure categories connected to public health reporting.

6. 4. You can report zeroes when clinical quality measures (CQMs) don’t apply

   Summarizes the CQM reporting requirement and the situation in which no applicable measures may exist for certain providers.