Compliance Levels Will be Raised in Stage 2

The Advisory Board pointed out in a brief that the menu requirements from Stage 1 will be core requirements in Stage 2, and some Stage 1 measures will be eliminated in Stage 2 to make room for new objectives. It also noted that hospitals will have to report on 18 criteria–16 core and two of four menu requirements. Compliance levels will be rasied in Stage 2. As recommended by the HIT Policy Committee, several Stage 1 measures will have higher performance levels in Stage 2.

"Furthermore, providers will no longer be allowed to limit measure calculation to only those patients whose data is available in the EHR," said the Advisory Board release. "Denominators will include all patients seen during the reporting period. Finally, providers excluded from meeting certain requirements due to special circumstances (such as states unable to accept population health data) will no longer be able to count exclusions towards meeting menu requirements."