Why You Need a Clinical End of Day Procedure

The EHR Zone is a weekly Internet radio program produced by HITECH Answers and hosted by Ron Sterling. If you’re of a certain age you’ll of course get the riff on an iconic 60’s TV show. Listeners tune in each week to hear Ron discuss real world challenges physicians practices are facing in implementing EHR systems, understanding meaningful use and qualifying for EHR incentives. The show airs every Wednesday at 4 pm on www.HealthcareNOWradio.com.

On yesterday’s show Ron discussed the importance of tracking and monitoring an end of day process to maintain and ensure integrity of  EHR based patient information. The show centered on a blog post by Ron on the topic. He makes it clear in both the post and on yesterday’s show that “the EHR’s ability to support care and patient service can be undermined by not maintaining the correct status of various EHR items.”  Items that could present issues without a proper end of day process include: messages, orders, exam note sign-off, document review and incoming patient portal information.

With the final rule for Stage 2 Meaningful Use anticipated sometime in the first week of September Ron spent time on the show addressing a specific issue for Stage 2 MU – patient portals.

[Related Article: CMS Gives Timing on Release of Stage 2 Meaningful Use]

As a refresher, here are the proposed Stage 2 MU requirements:

Proposed Stage 2 Meaningful Use Criteria Added for EPs
Objective: Provide patients the ability to view online, download and transmit their health information within four business days of the information being available to the EP.
Measures: Must Pass Two
More than 50% of all unique patients seen by the EP during the EHR reporting period are provided timely (within four business days as above) online access to their health information subject to the EP’s discretion to withhold certain information AND more than 10 of all unique patients seen by the EP during the EHR reporting period (or their authorized representatives) view, download or transmit to a third party their information.

Proposed Stage 2 Meaningful Use Criteria Added for Hospitals
Objective: Provide patients the ability to view online, download and transmit information about a hospital admission.
Measures: Must Pass Two
More than 50% of all patients who are discharged from the inpatient or emergency department of an eligible hospital or CAH have their information available online within 36 hours of discharge AND more than 10 percent of all patients who are discharged from the inpatient or emergency department of an eligible hospital or CAH view, download or transmit to a third party their information during the EHR reporting period.

You can download and listen to a podcast of yesterday’s show. And check out Ron Sterling’s excellent blog, Avoid EHR Disasters.