Dive Brief:
- Industry opinion is divided in the wake of the recent proposal of a one-year delay to meaningful use Stage 2. Some vendors have reported ongoing difficulty with the upgrades, which led to the proposed delay.
- Some hospital CIOs have said they're disappointed by the proposal, saying that the change of direction is confusing and that many of its proposed changes may not take effect in time.
- The AMA supports the proposal; A spokesman said the group believes an increasing number of doctors will drop out of the meaningful use program if concerns about the upgrades are not addressed.
Dive Insight:
CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT offered the proposal in response to feedback from stakeholders; however, the central concern seems to be the timing of the delay. As Healthcare Dive reported, even if CMS moves at its fastest possible pace, it will be late summer or early fall before the proposal is approved, so providers may still face penalties for not attesting for MU Stage 2 this year.