The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has helped to develop proposed regulations that could pave the way for increased hospital and physician use of electronic health record systems.
CMS worked on the proposed EHR regulations with the federal Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
CMS has drafted its proposed regulations, and the ONC has developed an interim final rule, to implement a provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
ARRA requires CMS to provide incentives for health care providers that make "meaningful use" of EHR technology.
In the proposed rule, CMS says a "meaningful EHR user" would be an eligible professional or eligible hospital that uses EHR technology "in a manner that improves quality, safety, and efficiency of health care delivery, reduces health care disparities, engages patients and families, improves care coordination, improves population and public health, and ensures adequate privacy and security protections for personal health information."
CMS will be publishing the proposed rule in the Federal Register Jan. 13 and offering a 60-day comment period.
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