Last week AMA, HIMSS, CHIME and MGMA issued statements calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to shorten the 2015 reporting period for providers to attest to meeting the Stage 2 MU. The statements were issued following CMS’ release of the most recent Stage 2 MU attestation numbers for Eligible Professionals (EPs) and Eligible Hospitals (EHs). In the November 4th HIT Policy Committee Meeting, CMS’ Elisabeth Myers presented CMS EHR Incentive Program registration, payment and attestation data. A total of 11,478 eligible providers and 840 hospitals had attested to Stage 2 of meaningful use as of November 1, 2014, up from previous months though still relatively small numbers compared to the total number of registered EPs and EHs.
“Meaningful Use participation data released today have validated the concerns of providers and IT leaders. These numbers continue to underscore the need for a sensible glide-path in 2015,” CHIME President and CEO Russell Branzell said in a statement. “Providers have struggled mightily in 2014, in many instances for reasons beyond their control. If nothing is done to help them get back on track in 2015, we will continue to see growing dissatisfaction with EHRs and disenchantment with Meaningful Use.”
“The low number of EP attestations to date is clear evidence that physician practices and their vendor partners have faced significant challenges in meeting the more onerous Stage 2 requirements of meaningful use,” said Anders M. Gilberg, Senior Vice President, government affairs, MGMA, in the statement released by the organization. “Shortening the reporting period in 2015 is a much needed change if the program is to remain viable and is a critical step if the nation is to continue making progress toward the goal of interoperability.”
The drum beat for a shortened Stage 2 MU reporting period isn’t new. In the wake of the release of the final rule modifying the 2014 Reporting Period on August 29, 2014, a coalition of provider organizations told CMS that a shortened reporting period “will have a dramatically positive effect on program participation and policy outcomes sought in 2015. Additionally, allowing flexibility in how providers meet the Stage 2 requirements, particularly related to Transitions of Care and View, Download, Transmit measures would also improve program participation.”
“In addition to a shortened reporting period, CMS must end its one-size-fits all approach to achieve the goals of the Meaningful Use program, which are to create a secure and interoperable infrastructure,” said AMA President Elect Steven J. Stack, MD. “The AMA recently released a blueprint to outline ways to improve the Meaningful Use program, as well as a framework outlining eight priorities for more usable EHRs. We believe the stringent pass fail requirements for meeting Meaningful Use, combined with a tsunami of other overlapping regulations, are keeping physicians from participating in the Meaningful Use program.”
For more information, read Jim Tate’s commentary on the rule modifying Stage 2 MU: New Rules for Achieving Meaningful Use in 2014.