With the recent publicity surrounding the publishing of the ARRA/MU Stage 3 rules, I decided it was time to weigh in with respect to the impact on imaging. I think there are some interesting prospects for meeting Stage 3 objectives in terms of imaging content and technology.
Objectives 5 (Patient Electronic Access), 6 (Coordination of Care through Patient Engagement, and 7 (Health Information Exchanges, or HIE) all have potential impact. One aspect of the Stage 3 rulings involves the introduction of the concept of API’s (Application Programming Interfaces) in conjunction with CEHRT (Certified Electronic Health Record Technology). All reference patient involvement with respect to the “viewing, download, transmission, and access” to patient information. As defined in previous stages, patient information can include image content.
A key aspect of the Stage 3 ruling is the timeframe for accessibility by the patient. The ruling addresses patient access within 24 hours of availability to the EP (Eligible Physician). I know from personal experience with my provider, this will be a challenge! Currently, lab tests are available in this time frame, but radiology results take substantially longer, as they are printed and scanned into the EHR (Electronic Health Record). It can take weeks before they appear to me in my patient portal!
Clearly, this would need to change to comply with Stage 3. And, this is only the report! At present, there is no ability to access images associated with the report – short of requesting a CD at the time of the exam – something a less-savvy patient is not likely to do. For the full article click here
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