The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT continues to support health information exchange in Stage 2 of the Meaningful Use program, recently releasing a document to help health information organizations support the transition of care measurements.
The document expands the advice to HIOs on how to support the Transitions of Care measure 2, which requires 10 percent of referrals by eligible professionals and hospitals be sent electronically. The guidance provides two options using the "push" method with the HIO being certified (by partnering with a certified vendor); two options using the push method without the HIO having to be certified (by becoming an e-health exchange participant); and two options using the query or pull method, such as reconciling documentation with audit logs.
The guidance also provides other information that HIOs should consider in supporting this measure, and expectations about what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may require if the provider is audited.
ONC has been focusing on transitions of care, launching its educational self-paced module video program with the same measure. The measure also includes the requirement that summary of care records be provided for more than 50 percent of transitions of care and referrals. An analysis of Meaningful Use attestations in Stage 1 of the program has revealed that the summary of care menu objective was the least favorite objective.
To learn more:
- read the document (.pdf)