The Dept. of Health and Human Services obviously listened to the resounding criticism that the proposed meaningful use criteria were asking for too much, too soon or all or nothing.
What HHS unveiled on Tuesday, July 13, was a scaled-down, more flexible list of objectives. Did you hear the collective sigh from the healthcare industry?
The general consensus is relief that physicians wouldn't have to meet all 25 proposed criteria and hospitals wouldn't have to meet 23 criteria or objectives. Instead, physicians are expected to meet 15 criteria and five more from a list of 10 objectives. Hospitals will only have to meet 14 specific criteria and five more from a list of 10 objectives.
To be sure, there will still be criticism in the coming weeks as organizations, providers and other stakeholders pore over every detail and fully digest the final ruling. But the industry is off to a good start. For one, the government listened. How often does that happen? For another, the changes are meaningful, no pun intended. Lastly, HHS believes the changes don't reflect a backing down of its overall goal of health IT adoption. As David Blumenthal, MD, said, the final ruling puts physicians on the "escalator" towards full adoption of EHRs. In other words, they'll eventually get to the promised land. Note that he again called on physicians to adopt EHRs as a professional imperative.
Overall, it's a good day for healthcare providers, if in the very least the uncertainty is gone. Now that the final ruling is out, everyone has the roadmap and it's time to get on the road of meaningful use.
