EHR Meaningful Use (MU) Overview

The Medicaid EHR Incentive Program provides a financial incentive for the "meaningful use" of certified EHR technology to achieve health and efficiency goals. By putting into action and meaningfully using an EHR system, providers will reap benefits beyond financial incentives such as: reduction in errors, greater accessibility of records and data, reminders and alerts, clinical decision support, and e-prescribing/refill automation.

MU and utilization of certified EHR technology will:

• Improve quality, safety, efficiency and reduce health disparities.
• Improve care coordination.
• Improve population and public health.
• Engage patients and families in their healthcare.
• Ensure adequate privacy and security protections for personal health information.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 describes three main components of MU:

1. The use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, such as e-prescribing.
2. The use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of health care.
3. The use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality and other measures.

Simply put, "meaningful use" means providers need to show they are using certified EHR technology in ways that can be measured significantly in quality and in quantity.

Three Stages of Meaningful Use

Stage 1

Eligible providers who have attested to adopting, implementing, or upgrading (A/I/U) certified EHR technology will work toward achieving Stage 1 Meaningful Use in their second year of participation in the EHR Incentive Program. For provider type-specific information regarding Stage 1 attestation, please select one of the following categories for detailed information.

For the most recent changes to Stage 1, please view the Stage 1 Changes Tipsheet.

Stage 2

CMS published a final rule that specifies the Stage 2 criteria that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet in order to continue to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. All providers must achieve meaningful use under the Stage 1 criteria before moving to Stage 2.

For additional information, please follow the links below:

• Stage 2 Overview Tipsheet
• Stage 1 vs. Stage 2 Comparison Table for Eligible Professionals
• Stage 1 vs. Stage 2 Comparison Table for Eligible Hospitals and CAHs
• 2014 Clinical Quality Measures Tipsheet

Also, please check CMS website for more information regarding Stage 2 Meaningful Use

Stage 3

Stage 3 criteria have not yet been promulgated by CMS; there is no current timeline for the release of the proposed and final rules.