Meaningful use stage 2: Due for a delay?

Feel like you will need more time to meet requirements associated with meaningful use Stage 2? The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has your back. The organization has submitted comments on the proposed rule, asking that doctors and healthcare organizations be allowed time to better prepare for the new requirements.

CHIME filed its concerns with both the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC-HIT), taking specific issue with the Stage 2 electronic health record (EHR) reporting period and CMS’ approach to clinical quality measures. The group also commented on all 42 of the proposed objectives and measures for both ambulatory and inpatient settings of care.

Among CHIME’s recommendations were that CMS permit eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals (EHs), and critical access hospitals (CAHs) to demonstrate meaningful use during a continuous, 90-day reporting cycle for the first payment year of Stage 2, much like the approach used in Stage 1.

Meeting quality control measures also will be a challenge, CHIME told CMS in its comments. CHIME urged the Office of the National Coordinator to require EHRs to be certified on all of the measures needed to meet meaningful use in each setting but to work with CMS to limit the number needed in each setting.

Overall, CHIME supported nearly every measure to meet each of the other 42 objectives, although it expressed concern about the lack of types and menu options for EPs, EHs, and CAHs. CHIME urged CMS to assess carefully both the number and feasibility of menu options for the average physician practice in finalizing its Stage 2 rule.

The proposed rule was published March 7 in the Federal Register, and the 60-day comment period ended May 7. A final rule is expected to be published by summer 2012.

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