MU developments
Meaningful Use was the big topic in health IT this week with the news that the Stage 3 proposed rule will soon be published but concerning figures about Stage 2 attestation.
More than half (55 percent) of physicians do not plan to attest to Meaningful Use Stage 2 in 2015, according to a survey of almost 2,000 members of SERMO, a social network for physicians.
Respondents cited “patient engagement, lack of workflow usability and excessive time consumption” as their reasons for not attesting.
These numbers make sense given the low rate of successful attestation to Stage 2 so far. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) figures reveal that only 4 percent (16,455) of eligible professionals have attested to Stage 2 as of Dec. 1. Professional associations and legislators have introduced a variety of efforts to add greater flexibility to the program.
These are the kind of numbers that could force real change. It's hard to move forward when very few are willing to follow the leader.
Beth Walsh
Clinical Innovation + Technology editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.