AMA: Meaningful Use Criteria Still too High

The American Medical Association, while applauding many aspects of the final meaningful use rule, says barriers to electronic health records adoption and implementation remain.

While the volume of measures that physicians are required to meet has been lowered, the Chicago-based group notes the final rule still requires physicians to meet 20 measures in the first year. That's still too many, especially for smaller practices that are new to using EHR technology, according to the AMA.

Product availability and tight timelines also remain concerns.

"Currently there is no EHR in the market that does all the things required for physicians to successfully meet meaningful use criteria," the AMA says in a statement. "CMS expects EHR systems that support meaningful use to become available this fall, giving physicians just a few months to purchase, implement and assess the usability of EHR technology before the January 1, 2011, start date of the incentive program. This is no small feat, considering it can take a year or more to purchase and implement an EHR system."

This story has been reprinted with permission from Health Data Management.

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