In order to maintain the momentum of the meaningful use program and reap the benefits of the healthcare industry moving to EHRs, changes need to be made, according to a group of health systems and industry stakeholders.
In a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell, the coalition argues strict meaningful use requirements and tight deadlines aren't giving healthcare providers enough time to focus on interoperability or other important goals. Additionally, certification criteria and timelines are keeping vendors from innovating or addressing issues outside of meaningful use requirements.
The coalition recommends the ONC streamline certification requirements to focus on interoperability, quality measure reporting and privacy and security issues; foster greater collaboration between providers and vendors to promote innovation; remove the meaningful use requirements that hinder innovation and allow time for the industry to test and achieve specific benchmarks before mandating providers meet them before a set deadline.
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