A federal advisory panel is recommending that the government give hospitals and doctors offices an additional two years to get their electronic medical record systems in order.
The Health Information Technology Committee, which advises the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, voted 12-5 Wednesday to recommend that the department push its deadline for stage 2 “meaningful use” requirements from next year to 2014.
Meaningful use refers to a wide range of guidelines aimed at making sure health care providers are properly using electronic health records in their day-to-day operations, which supporters claim will reduce medical errors, improve overall patient care and save money.
Failure to meet meaningful-use standards could lead to cuts in Medicare reimbursement, starting in 2014.
Organizations such as the American Hospital Association have supported delaying the requirements, saying the process of switching from paper patient records to computer databases is complex and will take longer than expected.
In a Monday letter, the AHA suggested that the government not start stage 2 until three-fourths of eligible hospitals and physician providers are compliant with stage 1.
“We also urge you to be parsimonious in your recommendations for new requirements in stage 2, maintain flexibility, avoid complexity and ensure that the benefits of any new requirements outweigh the costs,” the group wrote.
In the letter, the AHA said that in a survey of its members, less than 2 percent of the 1,297 providers responding said they were able to meet minimum federal requirements in January, when incentive payments first became available.
It also noted that federal authorities have dispersed only $158.3 million of the $4.7 billion set aside by Congress to help health care providers roll out electronic medical records.
“Clearly, meeting the stage 1 requirements is challenging; raising the bar quickly and significantly in stage 2 risks limiting the success of the EHR incentive programs,” the letter said.
Source: Nashville Business Journal
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