Meaningful Use Stage 1 core objectives

Below are nine core objectives provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that all eligible providers must meet to successfully attest to Stage 1 of Meaningful Use:

1. Use Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) for medication orders: Enter at least one medication order using CPOE for more than 30% of unique patients, or use CPOE for 30% of medication orders created by the eligible professional (EP) during the EHR reporting period. Providers can claim exclusions for laboratory orders (measure two) and radiology orders (measure three) for an EHR reporting period in 2015. 
2. Submit prescriptions electronically: More than 40 percent of prescriptions written by the EP need to be transmitted electronically using Certified EHR Technology (CEHRT).
3. Implement clinical decision support at the point of care: Implement a clinical decision support rule for specialty or high clinical priority, and use that rule to track compliance. 
4. Provide patients with electronic access (VDT): More than 50% of the patients seen by the EP during the EHR reporting period must receive online access to their health information within four days of its availability. EPs can use their discretion to withhold certain information. 
5. Protect electronic health information: Conduct or review a security risk analysis and implement the appropriate technical capabilities to protect electronic health information that has been created or maintained by the CEHRT.
6. Provide patient specific education: More than 10% of all patients seen during the 90-day reporting period should receive patient-specific education materials, as identified by the CEHRT. Exclusions apply to providers who did not intend to select this objective for Stage 1 prior to 2015 program changes. 
7. Perform medication reconciliation: Medication reconciliations are required for more than 50% of the patients transitioned to the care of the EP during the reporting period. Exclusions apply to providers who did not intend to select this objective for Stage 1 prior to 2015 program changes.
8. Create and transmit a summary of care record: When transitioning or referring patients to another care setting or provider, the EP must use a CEHRT to create a summary of care record.
9. Enable secure messaging: During the EHR reporting period, patients must be able to send and receive a secure electronic message with the provider. EPs may claim an exclusion for this measure in 2015 since there is no equivalent under original Stage 1 guidelines.