Promoting Interoperability Programs

Promoting Interoperability

The expansion and use of electronic health records (EHRs) is a national goal established under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has designated these initiatives as Promoting Interoperability Programs, previously referred to as Meaningful Use (MU).

These programs provide financial incentives for Eligible Professionals (EP), Eligible Hospitals (EH) and Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) to demonstrate their adoption and implementation of promoting interoperability standards for Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT).

CMS Electronic Health Record Incentive Program

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides detailed information on the Electronic Health Record Incentive Program requirements and answers to frequently asked questions on the CMS Promoting Interoperability webpage.

CMS offers financial incentives to providers and hospitals that implement or enhance EHR systems and meet criteria to demonstrate their implementation of promoting interoperability standards. Specific requirements and timeframes are provided in the regulations. Implementation and effective use of Certified EHR technology is a step toward reforming the health care system and improving health care quality, efficiency, and patient safety.

Declaration of Readiness

The Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services (DPHSS) supports submission of Electronic Case Reporting (eCR) and Syndromic Surveillance data for Promoting Interoperability from Eligible Hospitals (EH), Critical Access Hospitals (CAH), and Eligible Professionals (EP). This webpage serves as the DPHSS Declaration of Readiness for Promoting Interoperability. DPHSS is only accepting eCR for the following conditions:

DPHSS uses the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Informatics Messaging System (AIMS) and the Reportable Condition Knowledge Management System (RCKMS) to ensure appropriate receipt of eCR. Health Care Organizations (HCO) and EHR vendors are required to send their eCR messages through AIMS to DPHSS. DPHSS requests that HCO continue to submit manual reports along with eCR for data validation purposes. DPHSS will post additional conditions on this website as they become available for reporting. For more information on AIMS and the eCR onboarding process, please visit the AIMS website.

Syndromic Surveillance Reporting Onboarding Steps:

Complete the Onboarding Intake Form to register intent to participate in syndromic surveillance with the DPHSS. Upon registration, facilities should immediately begin “active engagement”. The basic steps of “active engagement” are:

1. Set up a transmission interface. Work with the DPHSS’s technology vendor, InductiveHealth Informatics, to set up a transmission interface to route ongoing syndromic data to DPHSS. Providers must submit data via either sFTP or the APHL Informatics Messaging Service (AIMS) Platform
2. Generate and send 5-10 messages for syndromic surveillance to the DPHSS from your EHR system via your transmission interface.
   • For syndromic surveillance, these messages should be submitted in HL7 version 2.5.1 formatting and one of the following admission, discharge, transfer (ADT) message types:
     • A01 – Inpatient Admission
     • A03 – Discharge/end visit
     • A04 – Registration
     • A08 – Update to previously submitted ADT message

Summary of Public Health Measures Accepted by DPHSS

The table below summarizes the Public Health Reporting Measures accepted by the Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services (DPHSS) for each provider type.     
 

Stage 3

Modified Stage 2