As discussed in the lesson and assigned reading for this week, EHRs provide both benefits and drawbacks. Create a “Pros” versus “Cons” table and include at least 3 items for each list. Next to each item, provide a brief rationale as to why you selected to include it on the respective list.Refer to the Stage 3 objectives for Meaningful Use located in this week’s lesson under the heading Meaningful Use and the HITECH Act. Select two objectives to research further. In your own words, provide a brief discussion as to how the objective may impact your role as an APN in clinical practice. Meaningful Use and the HITECH ActMeeting the criteria for meaningful use (MU) of an EHR is one of the methods of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement associated with the HITECH Act. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) serves as the primary regulator, with each individual state dictating the Medicaid operations within its jurisdiction (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, 2009). This statute identifies the eligible providers, including APNs, for the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement structure. Such prescriptive language does not recognize, embrace, or support the interprofessional team and the critical and collaborative work completed by such an entity to improve access, improve health care, and reduce costs.The third and final stage of MU is currently underway and entails a single set of criteria focused on the advanced use of EHR systems. CMS decided to move away from the staged approach and will require all providers (including first-time participants) to satisfy the objectives and measures of Stage 3 by 2018. Beginning in 2019, the MU program will transition into a new merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS) program established by the Medicare Access and CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) Reauthorization Act. The Stage 3 requirements and objectives will be maintained (Resnick, Meara, Peltzman, & Gilley, 2016).Stage 3 Meaningful Use objectives:To learn more, please review the Meaningful Use Stage 3 Recommendations (Links to an external site.)Throughout the MU phases, providers and hospitals that implement EHRs meeting federal standards outlined under the meaningful use regulatory requirements are financially incentivized with payments from CMS. The incentive program started in 2011 and extends over several years with the time table determined by whether a provider elects to access the Medicaid or Medicare incentive program. Hospitals can access both Medicaid and Medicare incentives, and in many cases these incentives equate to millions of dollars.-Additional information for the assignment What APNs Need to KnowAs noted, the role of the nurse is expanding to include information technology. This is also true of the advanced practice role and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) role (McBride, Tietze, & Fenton, 2013). McBride et al. (2013) developed a conceptual framework, which addresses the major roles that APNs play within the information technology environment. This framework is the Nursing Education for the Healthcare Informatics (NEHI) Model. The framework is targeted to advanced practice care delivery and is composed of three main content domains: (a) patient safety/quality, (b) data management and analytics, and (c) point-of-care technology (McBride et al., 2013).
