Meaningful Use Stages

The criteria for Meaningful Use will be staged in three steps over the course of the next five years.

  • Stage 1 (which began in 2011 and remains the starting point for all providers): “meaningful use” consists of transferring data to EHRs and being able to share information, including electronic copies and visit summaries for patients.
  • Stage 2 (to be implemented in 2014 under the proposed rule): “meaningful use” includes standards such as online access for patients to their health information and electronic health information exchange between providers.
  • Stage 3 (expected to be implemented in 2016): “meaningful use” includes demonstrating that the quality of health care has been improved.

Stage 1 Requirements

Core Objectives
Meaningful Use includes both a core set and a menu set of objectives that are specific to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and Critical AccessHospitals (CAH).  For eligible professionals, there are a total of 25 meaningful use objectives.  To qualify for an incentive payment, 20 of these 25 objectives must be met as follows:

  • 15 required core objectives
  • 5 objectives from menu set of 10

For eligible hospitals and CAHs, there are a total of 24 Meaningful Use objectives. To qualify for an incentive payment, 19 of these 24 objectives must be met.

  • 14 required core objectives
  • 5 objectives from menu set of 10

Clinical Quality Measures
To demonstrate Meaningful Use successfully, eligible professionals, eligible hospitals and CAHs are required to also report clinical quality measures specific to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals or CAHs.

Eligible professionals must report on 6 total clinical quality measures as follows:

  • 3 required core measures (or alternate core)
  • 3 measures from menu set of 3
  • Eligible hospitals and CAHs must report on all 15 of their clinical quality measures.

Meaningful Use Calculator
To measure how you’re doing meeting in the Meaningful Use measures, try the CMS Meaningful Use Attestation Calcluator.

Public Health Objectives
The final rule for Stage 1 Meaningful Use requires eligible professionals and hospitals to choose at least one public health objective from the set of menu objectives, which includes submitting one of the following:

For details, see the Stage 1 Meaningful Use – Public Health Objectives for Massachusetts Eligible Professionals.

Take the Meaningful Use Challenge!

Think you know Meaningful Use?  Try this fun, interactive “Jeopardy” game from ONC.