The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) have issued a final rule that gives providers additional options in how they use certified electronic health record (EHR) technology (CEHRT) to meet meaningful use requirements for the 2014 EHR Incentive Program reporting period. Under the final rule, eligible providers can use the 2011 Edition CEHRT or a combination of 2011 and 2014 Edition CEHRT for an EHR reporting period in 2014. All eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and critical access hospitals will be required to use the 2014 Edition CEHRT in 2015. Among other things, the final rule also extends meaningful use Stage 2 through 2016 for certain providers (Stage 2 meaningful use criteria focus on exchange of clinically relevant information between providers and promote patients' secure online access to their health information). The rule also provides that Stage 3 will begin in 2017 for providers who first became meaningful EHR users in 2011 or 2012 (under Stage 3, meaningful use will include demonstrating improvement in quality of health care). 

This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.