Stage 3 meaningful use: What’s next?

Stage 3 of meaningful use is proving to be the most challenging level yet for healthcare providers. Some of the key elements that require attention are quality reporting, clinical decision support, and security risk analysis. However, Stage 3 is not yet finalized and there may be modifications before a final rule is issued. One significant change in Stage 3 is the decoupling of certification and meaningful use, making certification modular instead. Providers are encouraged to provide feedback on Stage 3, but many are reluctant because they don’t believe anyone will listen to them. Clinical decision support is one of the key objectives in Stage 3, and there is more flexibility in meeting this requirement than some may realize. However, there are challenges to CDS such as lack of demand for updates and difficult clinician access. Security risk analysis is another core criteria in all three stages of meaningful use, and it is important for protecting personal health information. However, there are still high-risk areas within organizations that need to be addressed. Meaningful use has served its purpose in creating an electronic health record infrastructure, but there are structural weaknesses in the model that need to be addressed. Stage 3 should focus on sharing data and opening the ecosystem for better healthcare outcomes. Overall, the goal is to ensure that meaningful use is digestible for small practices.