EHRs, Meaningful Use and the Death of Medicine As We Know It

The HHS is issuing a new set of regulations on the EHR use for Medicare and Medicaid. The rule is massive over 300 pages. It mandates will surely place a tremendous load on any physician driving up costs and reducing any level of care.

They state: 

This Stage 3 proposed rule would specify the meaningful use criteria that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet in order to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments and avoid downward payment adjustments under Medicare for Stage 3 of the EHR Incentive Programs. It would continue t o encourage electronic submission of clinical quality measure ( CQM ) data for all providers where feasible in 2017, propose to require the electronic submission of CQMs where feasible in 2018, and establish requirements to transition the program to a single stage for meaningful use. Finally, this Stage 3 proposed rule would also change the EHR reporting period so that all providers would report under a full calendar year timeline with a limited exception under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program for provider s demonstrating meaningful use for the first time . These changes together support our broader efforts to increase simplicity …

 Yet one just read thrus say the first 50 or so pages and ask; when is any physician going to get through this. The demands are truly counterproductive and pure Government overhead.....