Low attestation stirs the pot

Meaningful Use numbers announced during this week's Health IT Policy Committee meeting stirred the pot when it comes to calls for more flexibility and loosening up the timeframe for the incentive program.

Less than 17 percent of hospitals have successfully attested to Stage 2 and the federal government has spent $25.4 billion on the program.

Officials from the American Medical Association, College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) quickly called the results disappointing, yet predictable.

"Meaningful Use participation data released today have validated the concerns of providers and IT leaders. These numbers continue to underscore the need for a sensible glide-path in 2015," said CHIME President and CEO Russell P. Branzell, FCHIME, CHCIO, in a release. "Providers have struggled mightily in 2014, in many instances for reasons beyond their control. If nothing is done to help them get back on track in 2015, we will continue to see growing dissatisfaction with EHRs and disenchantment with Meaningful Use."

Meanwhile, it seems the announcement that National Coordinator Karen DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc, has left her post was a little premature. She said during the meeting that she will remain in the position and as chair of the Health IT Policy Committee. 

ONC's work, she said, "is not a lower priority and not stopping. I feel the need to reassure people on behalf of the secretary [of the Department of Health and Human Services] when she asked me to lean in [on the Ebola situation] that health IT remains a priority. It's woven into delivery system reform which is at the very top of her agenda."

On top of these developments, we'll see in coming months how the results of the mid-term elections will impact health IT and the Affordable Care Act. There's never a dull moment in the world of health IT.

Beth Walsh

Clinical Innovation + Technology editor