Hospitals, Physicians Say Federal Healthcare IT Criteria Set Too High

Tags: healthcare IT | hospitals | meaningful use | requirements | too strict

Proposed eligibility criteria for federal healthcare IT funding for hospitals and physicians are so strict that hardly anyone can meet them, not even technologically advanced Kaiser Permanente or Intermountain Healthcare, according to a report in the New York Times.

An estimated $34 billion in HIT incentives were included in the stimulus bill, but the president of the physician network at Partners HealthCare said the so-called "meaningful use" criteria set by the Obama administration were based on "unrealistic expectations" and "unachievable timelines."

At least 27 senators and 245 House members voiced concerns about the criteria in letters to the administration, but administration officials have not decided whether to relax the proposed requirements.

Read the New York Times report on healthcare IT.

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