Mark Johnson

How meaningful use brought about a new era of health care

May 21, 2016
Through the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015, the incentive- laden Meaningful Use program will shift to also include the standardization of data use and interoperability, which enables patient data to be shared with other physicians and government organizations. By measuring physicians’ compliance and benchmarking them against other providers, the next iteration of Meaningful Use, which will be rolled into the Merit- Based Incentive Payment System, will usher in a new era of health care that will have a significant impact on the industry.

Originally, Meaningful Use was established through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act in 2009 to authorize incentive payments to health care providers who use certified electronic health record systems. With the ambitious intent of reducing costs and improving care, Meaningful Use was defined as using technology in a “meaningful manner” to ensure the electronic exchange of health information. While many small- to mid-sized providers are still struggling to efficiently and effectively migrate to an EHR system, many also collected government incentives. Now, MIPS will give doctors a quality score to determine a Medicare reimbursement.

The MIPS program will also include the Physician Quality Reporting System, which is the quality reporting program that has rewarded providers for participation and meeting certain requirements. With MIPS, the data collected will also highlight each provider’s quality of care, based on typical measurements, such as length of stay and re-admittance, and also evaluate those numbers based on the total cost of care. EHR technology has eased the PQRS burden by allowing necessary information to be gathered more easily. Reporting information electronically is also more efficient than paper claims, which can be an administrative nightmare.

MIPS will likely have major consequences for health care providers, because in the new era of health care following Meaningful Use, there will be winners and losers. Providers who meet the set criteria will receive reimbursements, but practices can also be penalized for not achieving key performance metrics. At least three major impacts on the industry can be expected.

1. Remaining compliant will require a significant commitment. Not only can initially implementing technology be a drain on the balance sheet, but with ever-evolving requirements, it will take significant time to properly document compliance. Taking time away from patient care to constantly train and ensure the staff is properly documenting the necessary metrics will be difficult — especially for the smaller providers.

2. Providers will “opt out” of the program. Although they will incur a penalty for non-compliance, the resource costs will not be worth chasing the incentives. This could lead to a vicious cycle, because providers that do not adopt, implement and use technology efficiently will continue to suffer while facing the increasing weight of penalties.

3. Health care organizations will begin to merge. To combat the time commitment and significant resources needed to remain compliant, independent practices will join forces to help remain compliant. By merging, physicians will be able to share financial responsibilities, implement the latest technology and hire additional staff members to monitor and ensure the practice remains compliant and receives the much-coveted incentives.

Changing the paradigm was not easy, but Meaningful Use helped push the health care industry into the 21st century. Similarly, Meaningful Use will continue to be vital as practices adjust to MIPS requirements in the new era of health care. It will be more essential than ever that providers capitalize on the benefits of EHR to leverage technology to offer the best care of patients.

These changes may seem daunting, especially for smaller providers, but remaining compliant does not have to be defined by time and money lost. Health care IT providers can help organizations with everything from technology and EHR integration to MIPS compliance, so practices can focus on patient care. For more information on the evolution of Meaningful Use, MIPS and how to pick a trusted partner, visit HealthIT.gov.

About the author: Mark Johnson is the founder and CEO of MedNetwoRx, a Dallas- based comprehensive health care IT service provider. The company, which was founded in 2001, offers up-to-date IT services tailored specifically for each practice, including hosting, clinical consulting, field services and real-time location services.