Medicaid Meaningful Use Stage 1

During the first year of Medicaid Meaningful Use Stage 1, eligible professionals (EPs) only need to adopt, implement or upgrade a certified EHR. Then, in subsequent years, EPs must meet a series of required core objectives and a public health objective, just as with the Medicare Meaningful Use program.

Though each state's program has the ability to modify the thresholds that EPs must achieve, the Medicare program requirements act as a guideline, and no state may demand that an EP exceed the requirements established by the Medicare Meaningful Use program.

Medicaid Meaningful Use Stage 2

As with the Medicare Meaningful Use program, Medicaid Meaningful Use Stage 2, set to begin in 2014, builds on the EHR capabilities introduced in Stage 1. Care providers are expected to increase the interoperability of health information, adopt standardized data formats and put more advanced processes into place. There is also greater emphasis on the exchange of clinical data and enabling greater patient engagement.