Deadline for meeting stage 2 meaningful use criteria for EHRs extended to 2014

Early EHR adopters who meet the criteria will qualify for up to $44,000 in incentive payments.

Issue: January 25, 2012

William L. Rich III

In an effort to speed adoption of electronic health records, the deadline for meeting stage 2 meaningful use criteria has been extended 1 year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Originally, practices and hospitals that began participating in the Medicare EHR incentive program in 2011 would have had to meet stage 2 criteria in 2013. Under the policy change, physicians and hospitals adopting EHRs in 2011 or 2012 are not required to meet stage 2 criteria until 2014.

EHR adopters must meet staged meaningful use criteria to qualify for incentive payments of up to $44,000. The incentive payments are reduced for entities that adopt later.

In an email interview with Ocular Surgery News, William L. Rich III, MD, American Academy of Ophthalmology medical director of health policy, praised HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ responsiveness to the concerns of specialists and said there is a need for stage 2 criteria that are compatible with ophthalmology and other medical specialties.

“The AAO was pleased to hear that there is an extension for compliance with stage 2 meaningful use criteria,” Dr. Rich said. “This reflects Secretary Sebelius’ desire to meet the needs of specialists. The AAO expressed great concerns with specifications for stage 2 forwarded to the [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] by the [Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology]. Rigidly forcing specialists to adhere to a set of criteria for primary care will deter adoption of EHR by ophthalmologists. The proposed rule will be crafted by CMS, and we are hopeful there will be changes to the criteria to make them more meaningful for ophthalmology and other specialties.”

Compliance and planning

Laurie K. Brown, COMT, COE, OSA, OCS, practice administrator for Drs. Fine, Hoffman, Packer & Sims, said the policy change gives adopters more time to comply with stage 1 criteria and prepare for stage 2 criteria.

“It seems to me that we will be able to live in stage 1 of meaningful use for another year,” Ms. Brown said in an interview. “What it seems to be saying is that stage 2 is going to be pushed out from 2013 to 2014.”

Early adopters are still required to meet stage 1 criteria in 2012 to qualify for a maximum incentive payment of $44,000. However, they need to attest to meeting the criteria for only 90 days in their first year, Ms. Brown said.

“It is a little cushion, but it doesn’t stop you from being ready to attest in 2012 in order to get the full bonus,” she said. “It gives people more time to meet stage 2 requirements. They want more people to be successful and to get more people on EMR faster by relaxing the requirements a little bit or giving people more time. They’re making it a little easier to get started.”

Ms. Brown said her practice is planning to attest to meaningful use and participate in the Medicare Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) in 2012.

“In 2012, we are choosing to do meaningful use and continue with PQRS,” Ms. Brown said. “When you do start the process for meaningful use, you are unable to do the e-prescribing at the same time. It becomes incorporated into the meaningful use criteria.”

Entities that attest to meaningful use in 2012 will receive final incentive payments in 2016 or 2017, as of the design at this time, Ms. Brown said. – by Matt Hasson

Laurie K. Brown, COMT, COE, OSA, OCS, can be reached at Drs. Fine, Hoffman, Packer & Sims, LLC, 1550 Oak St., Suite 5, Eugene, OR 96401; 541-687-2110; fax: 541-484-3883; email: lkbrown@finemd.com.
William L. Rich III, MD, can be reached at American Academy of Ophthalmology, Governmental Affairs Division, 1101 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005; 202-737-6662; fax: 202-737-7061; email: hyasxa@gmail.com.
Disclosure: No products or companies are mentioned that would require financial disclosure.