CHIME: More time, assessment needed for Stage 2

In its formal comments on meaningful use Stage 2, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) requested that more time be allocated to enable assessment of Stage 1 progress and improve preparation for moving to Stage 2.

In a Feb. 18 letter to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's IT Policy Committee (HITPC), CHIME stated it would not be prudent to move to Stage 2 until about 30 percent of eligible hospitals and eligible providers have been able to demonstrate EHR meaningful use under Stage 1. “We believe this approach would strike a reasonable balance between the desire to push EHR adoption and meaningful use as quickly as possible, and the recognition that unreasonable expectations could end up discouraging EHR adoption if providers conclude that it will be essentially impossible for them to qualify for incentives,” stated the organization.

CHIME also recommended that:

• Stage 2 have a core and menu set structure similar to that used in Stage 1;
• Core measures be those already incorporated in Stage 1, with some measures increasing in compliance levels; and
• New measures be added to the menu set in Stage 2.

“Delaying the move to Stage 2 would give federal agencies more time to develop clear policies that are defined in advance, which would give time-pressed providers and vendors clear guidance that they need for the industry to implement clinical systems, meet meaningful use objectives and qualify for stimulus funding,” the 1400-member, Ann Arbor, Mich.-based organization stated.

In response to specific proposed objectives for Stage 2, CHIME called for a limited set of rules that eligible hospitals and eligible providers would have the flexibility to choose from: “The goal at this point should not be use of a large number of clinical decision support rules but effective use of a smaller number.” 

The matrix released by the HITPC provides a sufficiently large menu from which to choose an appropriate set of MU objectives and criteria for Stage 2, CHIME stated. “Further, we believe it is premature to discuss the Stage 3 MU objectives and criteria tentatively proposed by the HITPC or to contemplate ‘stepping stone’ criteria for those objectives and criteria as part of Stage 2."