In a letter to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell, members of Congress expressed their concerns regarding eligible professionals' and eligible hospitals' participation in meaningful use incentive programs and requested increasing program flexibility.
The Congress members wrote that while they acknowledge that meaningful use has helped spur the adoption of health IT systems, they "remain convinced that program success hinges on addressing the 2015 reporting period requirements" and propose that HHS provides a shorter, 90-day EHR reporting period in 2015.
Currently, meaningful use reporting requirements necessitate a full-year reporting period for all providers in 2015, despite recommendations from numerous stakeholders urging for a shorter reporting period.
"We are concerned that a full-year reporting period will complicate the forward trajectory of meaningful use and jeopardize the $25 billion in federal investment made to date," reads the letter.
According to the letter, just 4 percent of eligible providers have demonstrated Stage 2 capabilities so far in 2014. "With extremely low attestation rates, we are unclear why HHS maintains that healthcare providers, hospitals and physicians alike, must perform a full-year EHR reporting period in 2015."
Congress members ask HHS to move quickly, as the full-year reporting requirement for physicians begins Jan. 1, 2015 for physicians.
Earlier this week, CMS announced approximately 257,000 eligible professionals would face Medicare reimbursement adjustments for failing to meet meaningful use requirements for 2014.
More articles on meaningful use:
CMS extends Medicare meaningful use attestation deadline to Dec. 31
IOM: Social, behavioral domains should be factored into MU
CFO pleads guilty to lying about meaningful use for Medicare payments