The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced plans to extend the beginning of meaningful use Stage 2 until 2014 for current participants of the Medicare Electronic Health Record Incentive Program, according to an HHS news release.
Currently, eligible physicians and hospitals that began participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program this year would have to meet Stage 2 requirements in 2013, and those beginning in 2012 would have to meet them in 2014 to receive the incentive payments. Now, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said current participants in the incentive program also have until 2014 to meet the requirements.
HHS plans to propose the extension in the Stage 2 meaningful use Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, scheduled to be published in Feb. 2012, according to a report by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. This extension follows recommendations made last summer by the Health IT Policy Committee to revise the Stage 2 timeline and is designed to facilitate faster adoption of health IT. In addition to allowing more time for healthcare providers to meet meaningful use requirements, HHS announced the development of increased outreach efforts to provide more education to physicians, hospitals and vendors about meaningful use of EHRs.
Secretary Sebelius also released a report showing physicians' HIT adoption has doubled in two years and HIT adoption has created more than 50,000 HIT-related jobs since the HITECH Act. HHS aims for increased HIT adoption to improve access to care, help coordinate treatments, measure outcomes and reduce costs.
Nov. 30 Last Day to Attest to Meaningful Use for FY 2011 Payments
More Than 100k Primary Care Providers Adopting EHRs
Currently, eligible physicians and hospitals that began participating in the Medicare EHR Incentive Program this year would have to meet Stage 2 requirements in 2013, and those beginning in 2012 would have to meet them in 2014 to receive the incentive payments. Now, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said current participants in the incentive program also have until 2014 to meet the requirements.
HHS plans to propose the extension in the Stage 2 meaningful use Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, scheduled to be published in Feb. 2012, according to a report by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. This extension follows recommendations made last summer by the Health IT Policy Committee to revise the Stage 2 timeline and is designed to facilitate faster adoption of health IT. In addition to allowing more time for healthcare providers to meet meaningful use requirements, HHS announced the development of increased outreach efforts to provide more education to physicians, hospitals and vendors about meaningful use of EHRs.
Secretary Sebelius also released a report showing physicians' HIT adoption has doubled in two years and HIT adoption has created more than 50,000 HIT-related jobs since the HITECH Act. HHS aims for increased HIT adoption to improve access to care, help coordinate treatments, measure outcomes and reduce costs.
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