Healthy Communities

Previous Years’ Requirements

Public Health Meaningful Use - Previous Years' Requirement

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 specifies three main components of Meaningful Use (MU):

  1. The use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of health care.
  2. The use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality and other measures.
  3. The use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, such as e-prescribing.

Simply stated, "meaningful use" means providers need to show they're using certified EHR technology in ways that can be measured significantly in quality and in quantity.

To qualify and receive MU incentives, participating providers and facilities must meet various operational and public health criteria established by Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) with the Office of National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

For more information on the EHR incentive programs, visit the following links:

 

 

Declaration of Readiness

What does Declaration of Readiness mean?
Beginning fall 2013, any Public Health Agency (PHA) that intends to receive electronic data from health care providers enrolled in the MU program will need to declare its readiness for receiving such data, or else providers may claim exclusions from public health objectives of MU.

CMS is considering building a centralized repository of information from PHAs describing their readiness for the various public health reporting objectives contained in the Meaningful Use Stage 2 (MU2) regulations.

Having this information in a centralized repository will enable "one-stop shopping" for providers and vendors seeking information on how specific public health departments will be accommodating MU objectives. However, even if CMS does not provide a national repository, PHAs will need to publicly declare their MU readiness in some fashion.

Is the Arkansas Department of Health ready to declare?
The regulations say that a provider must determine which MU public health objectives are supported by the PHA to which it reports. Furthermore, the provider must make this determination within the first 60 days of the EHR reporting period. The EHR reporting period is the time period that a Provider seeking MU incentive payments must demonstrate meaningful use of EHR.

As of September 2013, the Arkansas Department of Health can accept electronic transmissions for the following Public Health objectives: Immunizations, Laboratory Reporting, Syndromic Surveillance, and Cancer.

Note: The Arkansas Department of Health is currently not accepting electronic submission of data on specialized registries. If at a later date, ADH is able to accept data on specialized registries, the information will be posted here as well as the proposed Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) centralized capacity repository (when available).

Registration and On-Boarding for Public Health MU Objectives

In alignment with the activities related to Meaningful Use, the ADH has created an online registration and communication system that's capable of collecting and recording information on Eligible Professionals, Eligible Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals who want to submit electronic data on immunizations, syndromic surveillance, reportable lab results, and cancer. The intent of the registration system will allow the user to enter required information to inform the specific program within the public health system.

Click on the following programs to learn more about the On-Boarding Process for each of the following public health options:

Cancer Registry Electronic Lab Reporting (ELR)

Cancer reporting from ambulatory providers to state cancer registries is a new public health objective for Stage 2 Meaningful Use.
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Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR) is the electronic transmission from laboratories to public health of laboratory reports which identify reportable conditions.
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Immunization Information System (IIS)

Syndromic Surveillance

Immunization Information Systems (IIS) are confidential, population-based, computerized information systems that attempt to collect vaccination data about all individuals within a geographic area.
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Syndromic surveillance allows public health to monitor syndromes, or collections of symptoms, over time to quickly and accurately detect outbreaks or monitor diseases, disorders, or conditions.
More >

 

Those interested in pursuing the Public Health Meaningful Use objectives can proceed to the Meaningful Use Registration and Communications System (MURCS).

Click here to register button image and link

The Privacy Rule permits covered entities to disclose PHI, without authorization, to public health authorities or other entities who are legally authorized to receive such reports for the purpose of preventing or controlling disease, injury, or disability.

Office Email Phone
Meaningful Use Coordinator ADH.ORG.MU@arkansas.gov 855-218-3099
Resources
Promoting Interoperability (PI) Programs
Health IT (ONC)
Public Health Meaningful Use (CDC)
Arkansas Medicaid Attestation
Medicare Attestation

Continue to check this site for current ADH Meaningful Use testing requirements and instructions. This is an evolving process as ADH acquires new technology.

Public Health Accrediation Board
Arkansas Department of Health
© 2017 Arkansas Department of Health. All Rights Reserved. www.healthy.arkansas.gov
4815 W. Markham, Little Rock, AR 72205-3867
1-800-462-0599