We knew it was coming, and it did. Yesterday during the HIT Policy Committee meeting the Meaningful Use Workgroup let the cat out of the bag. Actually, there is no longer a bag. Over the past month the aggressive timeline for the transition from Stage 1 meaningful use to Stage 2 has come under assault from all sides.

During the HIT meeting the word “crisis” was used no fewer than three times. It is now being fully recognized that the move from entry level Stage 1 to Stage 2 will not be simple small step. Stage 1 was designed to facilitate buy in from vendors, EPs and EHs. Stage 2 will be where it gets real and the present timeline is simply not sufficient. The Meaningful Use Workgroup has proposed several possible timing options to the current plan.

All signs point to the creation of more elbow room in Stage 1 meaningful use: