Several health care organizations have submitted comments to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT about the proposed requirements for Stage 3 of the meaningful use program.
Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
Summaries of the organizations’ comments are provided below.
American Academy of Family Physicians’ Letter
Last week, the American Academy of Family Physicians sent a letter requesting that ONC delay implementation of Stage 3 until 2017.
Glen Stream, AAFP board chair, wrote, “We remain concerned that HHS is attempting to raise the bar for what constitutes meaningful use before the majority of physicians and hospitals are able to achieve the meaningful use Stage 1 or 2 objectives” (Perna, Healthcare Informatics, 1/16).
Association of American Medical Colleges’ Comments
In its comments on Stage 3, the Association of American Medical Colleges recommended that policymakers:
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s Letter
On Monday, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society sent a letter to ONC, urging the agency to publish the final rule for Stage 3 “at least 18 months before the beginning of the required implementation period.”
The letter stated that such a strategy would give developers time to make needed changes to their technology.
HIMSS also recommended that ONC focus more on helping providers take advantage of the capabilities established in Stages 1 and 2 (Bowman, FierceEMR, 1/17).
HIMSS EHR Association’s Letter
Also on Monday, the HIMSS EHR Association sent a letter to ONC, stating that the agency should not begin Stage 3 until at least three years after the start of Stage 2.
The association added that Stage 3 should focus on increasing interoperability and more extensive use of Stage 2 capabilities (HIMSS EHR Association letter, 1/14).
Texas Medical Association’s Letter
The Texas Medical Association also submitted comments to ONC, requesting that the agency accommodate physicians whose vendors go out of business or stop supporting EHR systems already purchased by the doctors.
The association recommended that physicians in such situations be allowed to meet “only 90 days of meaningful use during two transitional years, with appropriate documentation of making the transition to a new, certified EHR” (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 1/16).
Source: iHealthBeat
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