The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) in a letter to CMS has recently expressed concern about Meaningful Use in 2014.The letter states that “2014 brings a perfect storm of regulatory compliance issues for family physicians” not using a Stage 2 certified EHR system, and suggests that CMS “extend the timeframe for compliance with MU Stage 2 requirements by 12 months.”
But is the current state of the 2014 Certified EHR really that bad?
Representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT recently reported on the progress vendors are making from the 2011 certification requirements to the 2014 certification requirements. The transition is not going well! In fact, of the 991 vendors that have a 2011 certified EHR product, only 6% (6 percent) also have a 2014 certified EHR product. Of those that have a certified product only around 10-15 companies have an ambulatory product.
What this means to you:
If your EHR vendor is not certified yet, they only have a little more than 3 months left. It may be time to either look for a new EHR that is certified or get a guarantee from your vendor that they will meet the 2014 deadline. Remember if you seek a guarantee make sure that it includes reimbursement for lost incentive payments and also any Medicare penalties if they are not compliant in time.
If you are shopping for a new EHR today, only choose one of the vendors that has a product that is Meaningful Use 2014 certified. Why take a chance on vendors that promise but have not yet been able to deliver?
2014 Meaningful Use is not just about getting an ONC certification; buyers must also evaluate usability. If your vendor is struggling to get certified or waiting until the last minute then they will probably be sacrificing usability. Meaningful Use is hard and you should require that your vendor has enough lead time to simplify the workflows for your practice.
