Home Forums Discussions Meaningful Use What is your strategy for assuring you meet MU goals?

I'd like to ask other offices what is your strategy for assuring that you meet the goals for MU in 2012?

Part of my strategy is running the MU wizard on a weekly basis. This way I feel we can keep tabs on how our goals are being met. We can identify problem areas and proactively obtain the correct information to ensure we meet the goal measures.

Meeting measures in CQM and Alternate CQM will become much more important in phases 2 and 3, since the focus will be on improving outcomes data.

I am not clear on the changes in goals for 2012. Any tips?

There are no changes for 2012, it will be exactly the same as 2011.
However stage 2 implementation is slated for 2013. The Maine Regional Extension Center told us that stage 2 will require improvement in our clinical outcomes goals.

So I was wondering if any practices are thinking ahead to 2013. Any thoughts on how to ensure that we are not only collecting CQM data, but how we can utilize that data to improve our patient's outcomes?

I have a specialist getting rid of bad diabetics and telling them they are messing up his score with patient non-compliance - I heard this from 4 diabetics with a1c's over 9. So I am taking them, trying my best, but my score will be terrible due to these patients and the specialist will look golden and probably get an OBAMA medal.

"That's sick!" says my wife as we sit by the wood stove and I read her your post, Todd. I'm sure that sort of behavior will become increasingly common as pressure builds for "quality" care. I commend you for taking those patients into your practice. You may not get an Obama medal, but it's still the right thing!

I expect to simply keep on doing what we did late in 2011. I agree that a periodic check of the wizard makes sense. We found it to be very helpful.

I would like to get some benefit from some of the more useful parts of MU (yes, I believe there are some) as the year goes on. This will take a little work.

John H, sadly this will become a much more common scenario in the practice of medicine. I'm sure most of us here on the AC board will do the right thing, and not get rid of those patients.

However it will start impacting our bottom line and causes some of us to lose thousands of dollars of hard earned revenue. I'm sure it will be a decision that many of us will have to take a hard look at and at least consider.

I have never yet discharged anyone for bad data. However I've discharged a few patients for medical non-compliance. one example: A 23 year old male patient of mine presented with bilateral leg pain and numbness. I recommended MRI, and for 2 years he saw me every 3-6 months to ask for pain medication but refused the MRI. Finally I said "he would get the MRI or else." I made him get it, and a spinal cord tumor was seen. Then he was worried enough to consult 3 neurosurgeons. The N.S. at John's Hopkins went on record to recommend MRI's every 3 months. I had to harass the patient to get him to agree to one per year, setting AC reminder notices and proactively asking my staff to call him, and sending certified letters at my cost. After reviewing this ridiculous scenario with my malpractice carrier, they recommended I discharge him for non-compliance. He was a huge risk to me. He would be the 1st one in court to say "Dr. Lauer didn't care about the specialist's recommendation for q3mos MRI, he would barely order me one per year." While the record would reflect my over the top care, it would still be a lawsuit when he loses urinary and fecal control as well as reproductive capacity. By the way, I also picked up and diagnosed his hereditary hemochromatosis for which he refused all therapeutic phlebotomy!