11 Apr Tips for successfully achieving meaningful use
Once your practice has successfully implemented electronic health records into the new and improved system, it is important to get a grasp on meaningful use. But what exactly does that mean? According to Health IT, meaningful use sets specific goals and objectives that health care professionals need to achieve while using electronic health records to qualify for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service Incentive Programs. Within the first year of EHR implementation, hospitals and health care providers are not required to attest to meaningful use, but they must have successfully adopted, implemented and upgraded to EHRs to receive incentive payments.
If you have adopted and implemented electronic health records in the last year, consider these tips to help you achieve meaningful use:
Pick your program
According to Medical Web Experts, there are two incentive programs: Medicare and Medicaid. But, a practice may only choose one to participate in. If you’re making the decisions for your practice, do your research and find out the key differences between the two programs. Evaluate which one your practice would benefit from the most before making any decisions.
Get registered
Once you’ve made a decision about which program would best fit the needs of your practice, get registered for the program. Do your best to do this ahead of time so that your facility can get started as soon as possible.
Develop a timeline
Most successful implementation processes began with creating a timeline, so why not do the same for meaningful use? By planning ahead and creating a plan of action for your practice, you can help everyone prepare for the future. This can help your practice become well organized and complete tasks in a timely matter. Medicopy recommended spacing out tasks just in case an issue or problem occurs during one of the important steps. That way, you’ll ensure there are no setbacks.
Prepare yourself
Being fully prepared for meaningful use means you need to familiarize yourself with the system. Medical Web Experts suggested going over the requirements carefully to figure out if your practice qualifies for any exemptions. Then, make a list of the objectives you need to achieve. Listing your objectives in order of difficulty can help you diminish the simpler tasks in a timely manner.
Prepare your practice
Continuing education is key for EHR implementation and meaningful use. Medicopy suggested setting enough time aside to train each one of your staff members so they are fully prepared. Consider reaching out to your EHR vendor as a resource if you need assistance in the training department.
Engage your patients
The source said that meaningful use isn’t possible without your patients involvement. Make certain all of your patients are aware of the new programs you’re engaged in so that they have access to their electronic health records. The more participation you have, the quicker the workflow will become steady after full implementation.
