Report: Relaxed meaningful use criteria reflect reality
Final meaningful use rules that relax criteria slightly for EMRs reflect a more realistic approach given the slow adoption rates of EMRs among physicians over the past few years, according to a report from healthcare research firm Kalorama Information.
The New York City-based firm also predicted that the market would grow to $25 billion by 2014 and stated it believes that achievable but progressively challenging criteria for incentives are optimal.
The proposed rule would have required doctors to e-prescribe 75 percent of their drug orders to meet incentive requirements, Kalorama stated.
However, the final rule lowers that threshold to 40 percent. Also, CMS’ proposed rule would have required physicians to meet 25 meaningful use objectives, with hospitals asked to meet 23 markers. The final rule splits those objectives into a group of core measures—15 for doctors and 14 for hospitals—and offers a menu of 10 additional measures, from which providers can choose five to report. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has also indicated that the rules would be tightened the following year.
“The goals are reachable, but at the same time, HHS is taking care not to issue credits merely for buying software,” the report stated. “And the better the incentives work, the better the impact on the market and for the companies competing in EMR systems."
According to Kalorama's review of several physician EMR surveys from the past three years, prior to the incentives only about a third of physicians used EMRs, and perhaps a tenth used them exclusively, though incentives are expected to change that. Physicians who meet the criteria will be able to collect incentives as high as $44,000 starting in 2011. Those who do not use EMR systems according to the criteria will face a 3 percent reduction in payments in 2015.
"The HITECH Act incentives are a carrot and a stick system,” concluded Kalorama. “With any such system it is greatly preferable to get maximum use of the carrot and reserve the stick for what are hopefully just a few holdouts who do not comply after being given multiple chances to do so. Otherwise, what was a well-thought out policy would become just a mandate.”
The New York City-based firm also predicted that the market would grow to $25 billion by 2014 and stated it believes that achievable but progressively challenging criteria for incentives are optimal.
The proposed rule would have required doctors to e-prescribe 75 percent of their drug orders to meet incentive requirements, Kalorama stated.
However, the final rule lowers that threshold to 40 percent. Also, CMS’ proposed rule would have required physicians to meet 25 meaningful use objectives, with hospitals asked to meet 23 markers. The final rule splits those objectives into a group of core measures—15 for doctors and 14 for hospitals—and offers a menu of 10 additional measures, from which providers can choose five to report. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has also indicated that the rules would be tightened the following year.
“The goals are reachable, but at the same time, HHS is taking care not to issue credits merely for buying software,” the report stated. “And the better the incentives work, the better the impact on the market and for the companies competing in EMR systems."
According to Kalorama's review of several physician EMR surveys from the past three years, prior to the incentives only about a third of physicians used EMRs, and perhaps a tenth used them exclusively, though incentives are expected to change that. Physicians who meet the criteria will be able to collect incentives as high as $44,000 starting in 2011. Those who do not use EMR systems according to the criteria will face a 3 percent reduction in payments in 2015.
"The HITECH Act incentives are a carrot and a stick system,” concluded Kalorama. “With any such system it is greatly preferable to get maximum use of the carrot and reserve the stick for what are hopefully just a few holdouts who do not comply after being given multiple chances to do so. Otherwise, what was a well-thought out policy would become just a mandate.”