Meaningful Use and Patient Engagement – Supporting eHealth Literacy

Providing EHR-Enabled Patient-Specific Educational Resources

Measure: More than 10% of all unique patients seen by the EP are provided patient specific education resources.

Using the data stored in your EHR system, it is not only easy to access patient educational resources on demand, but also possible to automate the process to ensure that all patients receive relevant resources to better understand their health and care. Keep in mind that automation does not necessarily mean that a “one-size-fits-all” approach is appropriate. Using structured data, such as patient demographics, can help you to understand and produce resources based on the patient’s primary language and give you the ability to understand the patient’s health information as well as cultural background. Using supporting functionality, like a patient portal or personal health record, can also support multiple media types, allowing for the delivery of patient education and provider instructions through audio or video.

This objective does not specify what has to be delivered or the method of delivery. The rule uses the phrasing “if appropriate,” which allows the provider to decide whether the educational resource identified by the certified EHR technology is useful and relevant to a specific patient, and whether or not to provide the educational resources to the patient.

Providing Timely Electronic Copies of the Record

Measure: More than 50% of all patients of the EP who request an electronic copy of their health information are provided it within three business days.

Producing copies of the record electronically ensures patients have access to their health information in a structured and legible format. It is important for your practice to address internal processes to ensure that you are extending patients’ prompt and secure access to records in a way that includes a reasonable delivery and approval process.

Providing Timely Online Access to Personal Health Data

Measure: More than 10% of all unique patients seen by the EP are provided timely (available to the patient within four business days of being updated in the certified EHR technology) electronic access to their health information, subject to the EP’s discretion to withhold certain information.

Unlike the previous measure, which focuses on a single export of the health record—which is only as current as the date it was produced—this measure requires that the patient be given on-demand access to their up-to-date health care information (e.g., through a patient portal). There may be situations where a provider may decide that electronic access of a portal or personal health record is not the best forum to communicate results. This objective does allow providers to withhold some information until the next visit based on their clinical judgment.