Meaningful Use Attestation

The County of San Diego Public Health Services is actively engaged with the local medical community, hospitals and labs for meaningful use attestation. The County of San Diego Public Health Services (PHS) is supporting Eligible Professionals (EPs), Eligible Hospitals (EHs), and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) participating in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Electronic Health Record Incentive Payment Programs (EHR Incentive Programs) by providing systems with which EHR Incentive Program participants may exchange data to meet program requirements for public health reporting. This page includes information about PHS capabilities for receiving data and serves as the declaration of readiness. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published modifications to Meaningful Use for 2015 through 2017, effective December 15, 2015.

San Diego County Public Health Services Declaration of Readiness for Meaningful Use

2016-17 Mandated Stage 2

2016-17 Mandated Stage 3

Active Engagement

An Eligible Professional (EP), Eligible Hospital (EH) or Critical Access Hospital (CAH) must demonstrate active engagement for Modified Stage 2 by demonstrating any of the following:

1. Completed Registration

• EP/EH/CAH facility has registered to submit data.

2. Testing and Validation

• EP/EH/CAH facility is in the process of testing and validating electronic submission of data.

3. Production

• EP/EH/CAH facility has completed testing and validation and is electronically submitting production data.

How to Proceed

Step 1: Register your intent

Registration of intent to submit data to public health is required within 60 days after the start of the EHR reporting period. The healthcare provider can access the registration forms here:

• Electronic Lab Reporting  (see below)
• Immunization Results Reporting (see below)
• Syndromic Surveillance (see below)

If the healthcare provider has previously registered for MU Stage 2 for a given measure, they do not need to re-register for that same measure. However, if they plan to attest to a new public health measure, they will need to register for the measure.

Step 2: Testing and Validation

After your registration is received, you will be contacted and given information about next steps for each reporting measure for which you registered. After registration the healthcare provider may be placed in a hold queue. When PHS is ready to begin testing, the provider will receive an invitation to begin. The testing and validation process ensures successful transmission and high data quality.

Step 3: Production

PHS will notify the healthcare provider when their data is fully validated and flowing to the Production system at PHS. After that PHS will perform ongoing monitoring and will contact the provider to resolve any issues with submission or data quality that arise.

Want more information or have questions?

If—after you have reviewed this information and cited material—you have questions regarding MU Public Health Agency Reporting, please contact the individuals identified in the links above for each public health program.

• Electronic Laboratory Reporting:

Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR) is the electronic transmission from laboratories to public health of laboratory reports that identify notifiable conditions. The County of San Diego maintains an ELR system connected with our communicable disease registry system called WebCMR and this supports public health disease surveillance and investigation. Expansion of ELR through meaningful use will improve public health surveillance capabilities.

For more information on Electronic Laboratory Reporting:

• Click here for the Electronic Laboratory Reporting Enrollment Form
• Epidemiology Program, 619-692-8499, epi.hhsa@sdcounty.ca.gov

• Immunization Reporting:

SDIR will be able to meet the 2015 Edition CEHRT criteria, including:

• The ability to receive and respond to bidirectional queries (QBP/RSP).
• The capacity to receive NDC codes (SDIR will require CVX codes in parallel with NDC codes until full adoption of NDC codes has been completed)

Submitters to the San Diego region seeking to meet the Stage 3 Meaningful Use Immunization Measure in 2018 will be required to complete the SDIR Bidirectional Interest/Readiness Survey by December 31, 2017 and await further instructions. Look for the survey link to be posted here beginning in October of 2017. In the meantime, sites should continue to submit immunization messages to SDIR in 2017.

This declaration does not affect submitters seeking to meet the Stage 2 Meaningful Use Immunization Measure in 2017. Those submitters should continue to submit immunization messages to SDIR in 2017.

The San Diego Immunization Registry (SDIR) will use the San Diego Regional Health Information Exchange (SDR HIE) as the intermediary pathway.  This collaboration between County SDIR and the SDR HIE will require providers to interface with SDIR via the HIE, which will securely route immunization information directly to SDIR. County staff will work with the HIE, provider EHR vendor and provider representative to facilitate interface project development.

For more information on Immunization Reporting:

• Click here for the Stage 2 SDIR Registration form.
• Click here for the Stage 2 Year 2 SDIR Registration form.
• Immunization Unit, 1-866-358-2966, izinfo.hhsa@sdcounty.ca.gov

• Syndromic Surveillance:

The County of San Diego is capable of receiving syndromic surveillance data for hospitals, eligible providers and ambulatory encounters. Some exceptions are in effect for specialized medical practices and providers. Specification guides are available upon registration of intent. 

• Syndromic MU Registration form located here: Stage 2 Syndromic Surveillance Registration Form
• Epidemiology Unit, 619-692-8499, epi.hhsa@sdcounty.ca.gov

• Special Registries:

There are no certification and standards criteria specified in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) 2014 Edition EHR Technology Certification Criteria corresponding to special registries. However, specialized registries may be sponsored or maintained by Public Health Agencies (PHAs) or other organizations (e.g., national specialty societies, patient safety organizations, quality improvements organizations). The County of San Diego Public Health Services has several special registries under consideration and information about these, their technical specifications and engagement process will be made available on this website at a later point in time.

• Other Questions:

For all questions or requests for additional information about any of the meaningful use activities, requirements or specifications, please contact the Epidemiology Unit at 619-692-8499 or through email at epi.hhsa@sdcounty.ca.gov.