HHS releases final rules for achieving ‘Meaningful Use’ of electronic records

Posted on July 15, 2010 | No Comments
Filed under Department of Health and Human Services, Fraud and Abuse, Grants, Key Developments, Office of the Secretary, Rulemaking, Rules, and Guidance

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The Department of Health and Human Services announced final rules for achieving “meaningful use”of electronic health records so that eligible physicians and hospitals may qualify for as much as $27 billion in federal funding. A companion rule, issued by Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, also was released July 13 and identifies the standards and certification criteria for EHR technology, so that eligible professionals and hospitals may be assured that the systems they adopt are capable of performing the required functions.

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RWJF releases 2012 HIT report

April 25, 2012

Health information technology (HIT) has become central to health care reform policy-making due to its potential to improve efficiency and increase the quality of health care in the United States. Adoption of these technologies has remained a priority of the federal government as evidenced by incentive programs enacted through legislation, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has released annual reports since 2006 tracking slow steady increases in the level of adoption for physicians and hospitals throughout the United States. As these incentive programs and other reform initiatives begin implementation, RWJF has continued to track the progress of the nation’s health care system toward universal adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). Mirroring the emphasis at the federal level on the use of this technology in a way that has the greatest potential to improve the overall quality and efficiency of care, this year's report expands on previous analyses by investigating health care providers’ readiness to meet program requirements and explores the role of HIT in other health care reform initiatives.

CMS posts correction to Stage 2 meaningful use proposed rule

April 18, 2012

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently posted an 11-page list of corrections to its Stage 2 proposed rule on meaningful use. The CMS notice amends technical and typographical errors in the proposed rule entitled "'Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Electronic Health Record Incentive Program—Stage 2." The proposed rule was made public in February and a final rule is expected to be issued this summer. Many of corrections are semantic, although some involved actual errors (the proposed rule incorrectly identified the National Committee for Quality Assurance as the National Council on Quality Assurance, for example).

CMS releases proposed rule on stage 2 of meaningful use requirements for HIT

February 23, 2012

On February 23, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule for Stage 2 requirements for the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs. The proposed rule outlines the second stage of “meaningful use” criteria for eligible providers and hospitals. If implemented, the rule would increase requirements for the EHRs, as well as increase the requirements for information exchange. Additionally, the proposal introduces changes to the program timeline, details payment adjustments for providers and hospitals, and adds objectives for specialists in the EHR incentive programs. The final rule for Stage 1 of the EHR incentive program was published in the July 28, 2010.

Health Information Technology - Adoption Incentives

May 3, 2010

The health reform law makes no major revisions to provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to move the nation toward a national health information policy and create incentives for the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (HIT). However, because the adoption and use of HIT is foundational to the implementation of many aspects of health reform, this entry summarizes the key provisions of the 2009 law.