Are you a Medicare eligible professional who is participating or planning to participate in Stage 1 of the Medicare or Medicaid EHR Incentive Program this year? The Stage 2 rule for meaningful use included changes to Stage 1 requirements that took effect on January 1, 2014.

These changes include:

Record and Chart Changes in Vital Signs

Change: The age limit increased for recording blood pressure in patients from age 2 to age 3; there is no age limit for height and weight.

2014 Measure: For more than 50 percent of all unique patients seen by the eligible professional during the EHR reporting period, blood pressure (for patients age 3 and over only) and height and weight (for all ages) should be recorded as structured data.Patient Electronic Access

Change: Menu objective “Timely electronic access to health information” and core objective “Electronic copy of health information” are combined tobecome the new “View online, download, and transmit” core objective.

Patient Electronic Access

Change: Menu objective “Timely electronic access to health information” and core objective “Electronic copy of health information” are combined tobecome the new “View online, download, and transmit” core objective.

2014 Measure: More than 50 percent of all unique patients seen by the eligible professional during the EHR reporting period are provided timely (available to the patient within 4 business days after the information is available to the eligible professional) online access to their health information.

Clinical Quality Measure (CQM) Reporting

Change: Reporting CQMs is still required, but it has been removed as a separate objective.

Stage 1 Resources

Resources to help you understand changes to Stage 1 of meaningful use are available on the EHR Incentive Programs website, including:

Stage 1 Changes Tipsheet
2014 Stage 1 Changes Tipsheet

Visit the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.