The extension has two main goals: to allow CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to focus on successfully implementing the enhanced patient engagement, interoperability and health information requirements that are a part of stage 2, and also to give the agencies time to use the data from stage 2 participation to inform policy decisions for stage 3, which would begin in 2017 for providers that have completed two years of stage 2.
According to CMS, the changes are also in response to comments from industry stakeholders. Over the past months, the Health Information Management Systems Society, the American Hospital Association, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, the Medical Group Management Association and 17 U.S. senators have all called for more time for healthcare organizations to attest to meaningful use stage 2.
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