EHR meaningful use doomed unless Congress steps in

Congress just received an urgent call to action from physicians: Unless lawmakers intervene in the federal electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use program, physicians—who are frustrated by the “near impossibility of compliance with meaningless and ill-informed bureaucratic requirements”—likely will abandon the program completely. Physicians laid out the bleak situation in letters delivered to Congress Monday night. Complex requirements and clear-cut problems In the face of new regulations that will make program requirements under Stage 3 even less achievable and more disruptive, the AMA and 110 other medical associations sent letters to members of the Senate (log in) and the House (log in), urging them to intervene. The letters point out that “the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has continued to layer requirement on top of requirement, usually without any real understanding of the way health care is delivered at the exam room level.” Negative consequences of the program have been significant. The letters underscore some of the most serious ones lawmakers need to understand: Physician time is being diverted from patient care to data entry. Patient records are being filled with unnecessary documentation that is unrelated to providing high-quality care. The program has created new barriers to exchanging data and other information across care settings. Ignoring physician concerns, CMS sets unrealistic expectations Alth...
Source: AMA Wire - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Source Type: news