This is gonna HURT

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' proposed meaningful use rule sets the bar high at the start for using electronic health records systems to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Many stakeholders thought that bar should be high. But is it unrealistically high? That's the multibillion-dollar question being pondered as stakeholders prepare comments for federal officials to consider as they draft a final meaningful use rule. The proposed rule was issued in late 2009 and published on Jan. 13; the public comment period ends March 15.