In Part 1 we covered basic timelines and goals, in Part 2 we reviewed Core Objectives. Welcome to the third installment, where we will outline the Menu Objectives.
Stage 2 Meaningful Use provides a large update to the Menu Objectives when compared to Stage 1. In Stage 1, we only saw Advanced Directives as an objective. In Stage 2 we have a number of new additions, including a few relevant to Pharmacy Informatics. As mentioned in Part 2, Eligible Hospitals must meet 3 out of 6 for Meaningful Use. Those relevant to pharmacy include:
Progress Notes for more than 30 % of unique patients. While this might primarily be an objective for providers, pharmacists are also writing notes related to medication therapy. Common examples include anticoagulation or pharmacokinetic consults, as well as a number of items we will cover in Part 4 on Clinical Quality Measures. Informatics Pharmacists may be asked to help provide contextual tools to aid the clinical pharmacist in writing notes. The more targeted and meaningful notes we can write, the more likely we are to be accepted as members of the healthcare team. Informatics is an important platform for pharmacists to show others the benefits of an EHR.
ePrescribing in more than 10 % of discharge prescriptions. Informatics Pharmacists play a role in configuring and maintaining the medication database used by providers to create electronic prescriptions. Depending on the facility, they may own it entirely, or support it indirectly with another team. A more comprehensive and accurate medication ordering database will translate to safer prescriptions and better physician acceptance. Don't underestimate the importance of maintaining your medication libraries for prescribing use. It is the linchpin in the connection to the continuity of care and will come full circle if a patient comes back to your hospital.
Other objectives more unrelated to pharmacy include:
- Imaging results: more than 20 % are accessible using certified EHR technology
- Family histories are recorded in more than 20 % of patients
- Advanced directives are recorded for more than 50 % of patients 65 years or older
- Lab results are provided to providers for more than 20 % of patients
If you like charts, CMS provides a nifty comparison table for both core and menu objectives.
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