Dive Brief:
- Doctors are struggling mightily to meet Meaningful Use requirements for EMR use, with half of practices of Medicare-based practitioners at risk for penalties next year, research suggests.
- An AMA study found the biggest challenges doctors face include patient portals, risk assessment, quality measurement and VDT (view, download and transmit).
- Many doctors are stuck at Stage 1 of Meaningful Use compliance, and are nowhere near meeting the 126 requirements found in MU Stage 2. That could lead to a decrease in their Medicare reimbursement.
Dive Insight:
Given the struggles doctors are facing in complying with Meaningful Use, it's little wonder that the AMA is pushing for modifications to the MU program. For one thing, the group argues that the all-or-nothing structure of MU—a provider either passes or doesn't—is unfair to doctors, who may have met most of the requirements but still fail by a small margin. AMA reps also note that doctors are wrestling with several other new requirements, including the Value Based Payment Modifier required by the ACA, and of course the ICD-9 to ICD-10 transition. If the program isn't adjusted, it seems that countless physicians will be left behind.