ISASS signed on to an AMA letter to Congress urging intervention to reform and refocus the electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use program. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) established incentive payments to eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, critical access hospitals and Medicare Advantage Organizations to promote the adoption and meaningful use of interoperable health information technology and qualified electronic health records. The State 1 final rule (2011-2012) set the foundation for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs by establishing requirements for the electronic capture of clinical data, including providing patients with electronic copies of their health information. The Stage 2 final rule (2014) expanded upon the Stage 1 criteria and encouraged use of health information technology for continuous quality improvement at the point of care and the exchange of information. On October 16, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final Stage 3 rule which makes some modifications to Stage 2 and implements Stage 3 which focuses on utilizing the health data collected to improve patient outcomes. There is collective frustration within the physician community that CMS finalized Stage 3 when electronic health record interoperability issues in Stage 2 have not been addressed. To that end, the multi-specialty letter to Congress urges Congressional intervention with CMS and legislative action to refocus the program.

Letter to House Leaders

Letter to Senate Leaders