News: Meaningful Use Stage 3 deadline extended

Despite rapid growth of electronic health record (EHR) implementation, CMS proposed a new timeline for the implementation of Meaningful Use—with Stage 2 compliance extended until 2016 and Stage 3 in 2017, according to a December release from CMS.

 

Although the amended timeline came after both the AHA and the AMA wrote letters to CMS proposing the shift, CMS says that “[t]he goal of this change is two-fold: first, to allow CMS and [the Office of the national Coordinator for Health Information Technology] ONC to focus efforts on the successful implementation of the enhanced patient engagement, interoperability and health information exchange requirements in Stage 2; and second, to utilize data from Stage 2 participation to inform policy decisions for Stage 3.”

 

According to the release, 85% of eligible hospitals received an EHR incentive payment from Medicare in 2013.