Leveraging Technology
More than 75% of U.S. hospitals had adopted at least a basic electronic health record system by the end of 2014, up from 59% in 2013, according to a study reported online today by Health Affairs. About 40% of hospitals were able to meet all 16 core objectives for Stage 2 meaningful use, up鈥
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued three new FAQs clarifying how to attest to certain meaningful use measures for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record Incentive Programs under the final rule modifying meaningful use requirements for 2015-2017.
The AHA today urged the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology to provide greater detail about the characteristics and metrics used to assess the standards identified as the 鈥渂est available鈥 in the draft Interoperability Standards Advisory.
The Department of Health and Human Services鈥 Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology today released a final 鈥渞oadmap鈥 for achieving a national health IT infrastructure that facilitates the secure exchange and use of electronic health information by 2024.
On October 6, CMS released a final rule with comment period modifying the reporting period for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Programs in 2015 to a 90-day period to align with the calendar year and providing additional flexibilities.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee still plans to propose legislation this year to advance the interoperability of electronic health records, one of many reasons the administration should wait to finalize Stage 3 meaningful use requirements under the Medicare and Medicaid鈥
Representatives from selected non-federal initiatives working to facilitate electronic health record interoperability say key challenges include insufficient standards, variation in state privacy rules, patient record matching, customization and other costs, and governance/trust-related issues,鈥
The Department of Health and Human Services鈥 Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology yesterday released for comment draft updates to its list of 鈥渂est available鈥 standards and implementation specifications for interoperable clinical health information technology.