Docs talk challenges of 'meaningful use'

Physicians from group practices with extensive experience adopting and using electronic health-record systems testified before a federally chartered advisory group on Jan 11. The elite electronic health record users -- who self-defined their groups in terms of EHR implementation to be in the upper 25% of all EHR users nationwide -- said that meeting the Stage 1 meaningful-use criteria to receive federal EHR incentive payments presents multiple challenges to their practices. They also warned federal rulemakers against setting the bar too high when second and third stages of the meaningful-use requirements are set for 2013 and 2015.