Home Forums Discussions Meaningful Use Back to MU stage 1... Again... But...

So I'm just going to do MU stage 1 again. I've already done stage 1 twice, so this will be my third time, but I don't think AC is quite ready for stage 2. So my question, I'm on AC 7.1.2, but now that I've upgraded, it is not counting summaries I've sent earlier in the year through Updox (printed to Updox), and now the FMH has to be codified, otherwise it doesn't count, even for stage 1! What a pain since I've already attested twice that I now have to make all these changes to qualify again for stage 1. So, I wanted to come up with a list of how I need to change in version 7.1.2 to make MU 1 work:
1. FMH has to be codified.
2. Summary has to be printed and then full chart has to be sent to portal. Otherwise, I can't get the ticker to go up.
3. ? Need to add lab orders.

What else???

David Lee, MD
IM
Dallas, TX

4. Oh and you have to check formulary each time you prescribe a medication. Slow and painful...

David Lee, MD
IM
Dallas, TX

And the actual content of the notes is completely irrelevant -- or so it seems.
The hospital clinic, which is determined to do MU2 provides us encounter notes and summaries that are completely devoid of useful information -- but take up about 20 printed pages.

Yes, I'm used to getting 14 pages of nonsense from other providers. Then I talk to the patient and something totally different actually occurred during the visit. I recently got a summary from a hospital and all I could make out was the patient had nausea, but he actually had something major like a heart attack!

David Lee, MD
IM
Dallas, TX

I am scheduled to attest to stage 2 for 2014 but had thrown in the towel on this.

Now I could attest for stage 1, but after reading the above, and since attestation is an all or nothing venture, I doubt that I could successfully attest with so little time left in 2014.

I'm on Amaz Charts version 6.6.1 and would need to upgrade to 6.6.5 or 6.6.7 or 7.0.13 but not 7.1.3.

I'm leaning toward not attesting and forgoing the $4000 (but saving time and aggravation). When will penalties start for me?

Providers that do not successfully attest to MU in 2014 will receive a 2% payment adjustment starting January 1, 2016. If providers are unable to demonstrate meaningful use in 2014,* they may qualify for a hardship exception for the 2016 payment adjustment. To avoid the 2016 payment adjustment, apply for a hardship exception by July 1, 2015, using the 2016 payment adjustment
application (available on the EHR website in fall of 2014).

*Successfully demonstrate meaningful use in 2014 means you have completed the reporting period by December 31, 2014,

I have updated to 7.1.2, but can I still attest to MU stage 1???

David Lee, MD
IM
Dallas, TX

Per the chart from amazing charts

http://amazingcharts.com/index.php?id=794

you can, but you have to use the 2014 stage 1 objectives and measures rather than the 2013 stage 1 criteria (presumably 2014 more difficult to meet ?)

Ken - the chart appears to be incomplete, as the CMS rules allows the use 2011 certified software, which would include version 6.3.3 IIRC

OK
upgraded to version 7.1.3 and can attest for MU 1 2014 criteria or MU 2
I looked carefully to see what I needed to do for MU1 2014 criteria, MU1 amd MU2

the main changes from MU 1 2011 criteria are ( in addition to all the old criteria) :
after you sign the note, you need to go back into summary tab and then send 2 things to the patient portal via Updox
1) clinical summary for that visit note
2) complete patient summary with entire record ( at the bottom of the drop down menu listing the visit notes

doesn't count that you send the patient a visit summary from the A/P/Instructions box at all (So AC should take out that blue box for MU 1 and 2 )

for MU2
I don't think the hardware is working quite yet still.
core 2
it is still not recording electronic prescriptions ( caught 1 of 9, when 8 of 9 were sent electronically ( i measured MU1 and MU2 for one day this past saturday and 8/9 were caught for this core on MU1 but only 1/9 for MU1
I do not see any images, thumbnail or otherwise of radiology images
frightening because CMS says you have to have them but AC just has you attesting that you have them ( when you sign off on that menu item) even though they are not there.

anyone having similar thoughts or difficulties
given the MU 2 stuff as above, seems like it will be safer to go for MU1 2014 criteria starting Oct 1

Lynn

E script is counted unreliably even with the latest 7.1.3. I could not figure out why some scripts are still not counted. Will try more.
In terms of summaries. I have a dummy patient and I created a portal account for him. This summary looks so ugly and useless that I really embarrassed to offer such a shitty service to my patients. I am a solo practice and I can not afford in the era of iPhones to offer to my patients such clumsy looking document. It is just a format. Why can't they steal it from eclinjcal. I am contemplating not attesting at all. But does it mean I will need to attest for a whole year in 2015?