Core Measure 5
Active Medication List
Objective:
Maintain active medication list.
Measure:
More than 80 percent of all unique patients seen by the eligible professional have at least one entry (or an indication that the patient is not currently prescribed any medication) recorded as structured data.
CMS Resources
The following resources are available to help you meet the Active Medication List meaningful use core measure:
- EHR Meaningful Use Specification Sheet for Eligible Professionals – Core Measure 5 of 15 [PDF - 120k]
Related CMS EHR Incentive Program Frequently Asked Questions
Lessons from the Field
"We follow a model where we engage the patients in their care by having them review their active medication lists during each visit."
— Dr. Mary Landwehr, MD, Family Physician and Director, Sunrise Family Care Clinic 
To ensure that a patient's active medications list is comprehensive and accurate, a nurse may print the patient's active medication list and provide it to the patient once they have been roomed for their review. Once the physician enters the room, he or she reviews the patient's changes to their active mediation list and can then adjust as necessary within the EHR system.
National Learning Consortium Resources
The following resources are examples of tools that are used in the field today for maintaining an active medication list. These tools have been recommended by "boots-on-the-ground" professionals for use by others who have made the commitment to implement or upgrade to certified EHR systems.
Learn more about The National Learning Consortium.
Reference in this web site to any specific resources, tools, products, process, service, manufacturer, or company does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. Government or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
| National Learning Consortium Resources | ||
|---|---|---|
| Resource Name | Description | Source |
|
How to Create an Accurate Medication List in the Outpatient Setting through a Patient-Centered Approach
[PDF - 3.3Mb] |
Toolkit that provides information and guidance for implementing a patient-centered approach in the outpatient setting focused on medication safety. |
Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS), Aurora Health Care |
|
Medication Safety Reconciliation Toolkit
[PDF - 4Mb] |
Toolkit that provides extensive detail on where and how to reconcile medications at all transition points of care; how to implement a medication reconciliation process; and provides sample process maps, algorithms, and forms. |
North Carolina Center for Hospital Quality and Patient Safety (NC Quality Center) |
|
Medication Discrepancy Tool (MDT)
|
Tool for identifying and characterizing medication discrepancies that arise when patients are making the transition between sites of care. |
The Care Transitions Program, University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine |
Related CMS EHR Incentive Program Frequently Asked Questions
- #2813 - What do the numerators and denominators mean in measures that are required to demonstrate meaningful use?
- #2765 - For EPs who see patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and where certified EHR technology is available at each location, should these EPs base their denominators for meaningful use objectives on the number of unique patients in only the outpatient setting or on the total number of unique patients from both settings?
- #3307 - How does an EP determine whether a patient has been "seen by the EP" in cases where the service rendered does not result in an actual interaction between the patient and the EP, but minimal consultative services such as just reading an EKG? Is a patient seen via telemedicine included in the denominator for measures that include patients "seen by the EP"?
- #3309 - When a patient is only seen by a member of the EP's clinical staff during the EHR reporting period and not by the EP themselves, do those patients count in the EP's denominator?
- #3065 - Should patient encounters in an ambulatory surgical center be included in the denominator for calculating that at least 50 percent or more of an EP's patient encounters during the reporting period occurred at practices/locations equipped with certified EHR technology?
- #3077 - If an EP sees a patient in a setting that does not have certified EHR technology but enters all of the patient’s information into certified EHR technology at another practice location, can the patient be counted in the numerators and denominators of meaningful use measures?
For additional questions around meaningful use, visit the CMS EHR Incentive Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
