Dive Brief:
- State 2 revisions include the 90-day 2015 reported period, which will have the most impact on healthcare organizations, and a reduced patient engagement requirement highly criticized as useless.
- EHR vendors and healthcare providers have been asking for clarity about what to expect from the EHR incentive program for months. The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) commented that the delay means medical groups won't have time to prepare once the final rules are published. The group asked CMS to extend the 2015 reporting period stating it was "absolutely vital to continued program success."
- CMS said that Stage 3 proposed rule focuses at eight "objectives of advanced use": data security, e-prescribing, clinical decision support, CPOE, patient access, care coordination, HIE and public health reporting.
Dive Insight:
Robert Anthony, deputy director of CMS' quality measurement and health assessment group, told audience members at HIMSS15 this past spring, that: "The goal was to become simpler; to get to something that was sustainable for future achievement. To focus in areas that were priorities for us as an agency, but also for us as healthcare providers and consumers; promoting health information exchange and focusing on improved outcomes." The industry will have to wait and see how much of the State 3 proposed rule is incorporated in the final framework.