Lawmakers Raise Issues on 'Meaningful Use' at Congressional Hearing

On July 27, lawmakers and hospital officials attending a House Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing expressed concerns about the federal government's final rule for designating "meaningful use" of electronic health records. Chief among the issues discussed was an objection to the government's classification of hospital systems with several facilities as one entity for the purpose of incentive payments. Hearing attendees also questioned whether the certification process for EHRs will be implemented in time to meet deadlines established under the federal stimulus package, which assigns penalties beginning in 2015 for non-compliance.