In a federal hearing, hospital and physician representatives urged HHS to simplify "meaningful use" requirements for Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs, according to a release by the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives.
The representatives, all advanced users of EHRs, also told the Implementation Workgroup, a subgroup of the HIT Standards Committee, that more time should be allowed before implementation of the program's Stage 2 requirements, according to a report by AHA News Now.
Speakers at the hearing complained that certification requirements for meaningful use are so complex that it will be very challenging for many hospitals to meet them. They added the requirements are especially onerous for quality reporting.
Creating reports to be eligible for meaningful use "has become an onerous, difficult and time-consuming process," said Joanne Sunquist, CIO of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. "This is in spite of the fact that we are working closely with our certified vendor who has provided certified reports. We are concerned that the difficulties organizations will face in producing the reports will result in significant delays in attestation, while not inherently adding value to the overall intent."
Linda Reed, vice president and CIO of Atlantic Health in Morristown, N.J., added that physicians within her organization "want autonomy in choosing technologies, but also expect to be able to send and receive data at will. The trouble is that many of them do not know what is required for this or whether they have capable systems."
Read the CHIME release on meaningful use requirements.
Read more coverage of meaningful use:
- Kentucky Teaching Hospital Receives First EHR Incentive Payment
- HIMSS Launches Online Resource for Meaningful Use
- CMS Makes Minor Revisions to Meaningful Use Final Rule
The representatives, all advanced users of EHRs, also told the Implementation Workgroup, a subgroup of the HIT Standards Committee, that more time should be allowed before implementation of the program's Stage 2 requirements, according to a report by AHA News Now.
Speakers at the hearing complained that certification requirements for meaningful use are so complex that it will be very challenging for many hospitals to meet them. They added the requirements are especially onerous for quality reporting.
Creating reports to be eligible for meaningful use "has become an onerous, difficult and time-consuming process," said Joanne Sunquist, CIO of Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis. "This is in spite of the fact that we are working closely with our certified vendor who has provided certified reports. We are concerned that the difficulties organizations will face in producing the reports will result in significant delays in attestation, while not inherently adding value to the overall intent."
Linda Reed, vice president and CIO of Atlantic Health in Morristown, N.J., added that physicians within her organization "want autonomy in choosing technologies, but also expect to be able to send and receive data at will. The trouble is that many of them do not know what is required for this or whether they have capable systems."
Read the CHIME release on meaningful use requirements.
Read more coverage of meaningful use:
- Kentucky Teaching Hospital Receives First EHR Incentive Payment
- HIMSS Launches Online Resource for Meaningful Use
- CMS Makes Minor Revisions to Meaningful Use Final Rule