Re: Medication list: Hospital-based outpatient practices

[Guest guest]

Bob,

We've started systematically reviewing and entering medication lists as part of

our Quality Assurance/Electronic Medical Records initiative (not PQRS) to

qualify as Meaningful Use providers under Stage 2 of the HITECH Act(The Health

Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health).

I am a physical therapist in private practice but I think hospitals qualify now.

Stage 1 (2011) requires documentation of at least one medication for 80% of

patients. Stage 2 (2012) is unchanged. Stage 3 (2013) requires that medication

lists be up to date as part of medication reconciliation.

All this must be performed electronically to qualify for Meaningful Use for EMR.

Currently, physical therapists in private practice do not qualify as eligible

professionals for reimbursement for investments in EMR precisely because we are

not viewed as professionals that contribute to, check or update the medication

list.

Hopefully, as physical therapists become more comfortable as primary care

providers we will provide more input on patient medications.

Thank you,

Tim , PT

www.PhysicalTherapyDiagnosis.com

>

> This is a question for those of you who manage hospital practices. First a

bit of background: Several years ago during a Joint Commission survey, we were

directed to obtain a medication list from each outpatient, and to check the

list's validity at each subsequent visit. (With additional documentation to

prove we've done so, of course.) I can find nothing in the CMS regulations,

state practice, professional standards, or other regulatory bodies that require

this in ambulatory settings.

>

> So here's the question: Are any of you doing this, and if so, why? Does

anybody know of a regulation or standard that I might have missed that does

require this in hospital outpatient settings? Conversely, can anybody state

definitively that this is not required?

>

> Bob Perlson

> Director, Rehabilitation Services

> Rogue Valley Medical Center

> Medford, OR

> bperlson@...

>

> http://bpsrehabblog.blogspot.com/

>