Industry Groups Urge Sebelius to Hold Off on MU

In a letter citing concerns for patient safety and a lack of vendor support, more than 40 physicians groups and medical associations are urging HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to allow more time for Meaningful Use attestation.

A coalition of more than 40 physicians groups and medical associations is calling for additional time to meet the goals of the Meaningful Use program. In a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Friday, the group asked for "additional time and new flexibility" to implement electronic health record systems.

The letter was released as the 2014 HIMSS conference was about to begin in Orlando, FL.

"We recognize the vital role your department has taken in advancing the adoption of health information technology in the United States and appreciate your willingness to be flexible in extending the start of Stage 3 to 2017," the letter said. "We fear the success of the program is in jeopardy, however, if steps are not taken now to address our shared concerns."

More than 5,000 hospitals and 550,000 eligible professionals must adopt the 2014 standards to meet the threshold of meaningful use criteria in the next seven months. The authors of the letter, which include the American Hospital Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, and the National Rural Health Association, consider the federal timeline unreasonable, and say that vendors cannot keep pace with provider needs.

"With only a fraction of 2011 Edition products currently certified to 2014 Edition standards, it is clear the pace and scope of change have outstripped the ability of vendors to support providers. This inhibits the ability of providers to manage the transition of the 2014 Edition… in a safe and orderly manner," the letter said.

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It strongly recommended that HHS extend the deadline to meet Stages 1 and 2 through 2015 and "add flexibility in Meaningful Use requirements to permit as many providers as possible to achieve success in the program."

Leaders of the organizations that signed the letter echoed these sentiments.

"The AMA is increasingly alarmed that the meaningful use program continues to move full steam ahead without regard to the challenges faced by physicians, hospitals and vendors during the past few years," said AMA President Ardis Dee Hoven, M.D. in a statement.

"Continued difficulties experienced in the current program are a clear sign that federal requirements must be revised. Greater flexibility for physicians is needed to meet the meaningful use requirements and avoid unfair penalties, and less proscriptive certification criteria will help vendors better focus on the clinical needs of their physician customers."

Chantal Worzala, PhD and director of policy at the American Hospital Association, expressed concern about safety in a statement issued by the AHA. "Hospitals are working earnestly towards the goal of care transformation that is supported by safe and effective information systems. The AHA and other organizations signing [the letter] understand that HHS has the same goal. However, we are seeing that as many as 40 percent of hospitals could be at risk of missing the 2014 certified EHR adoption and meaningful use requirements if they remain the same. We urge HHS to provide the flexibility needed to help these hospitals pass the finish line safely."

"Physicians need more training and education to learn how to best deploy and use the EHR systems they are purchasing," Hoven said. "We have to recognize that if you require EHRs to be all things to all people —regulators, payers, auditors, lawyers—then it diminishes its ability to perform the most critical function—helping physicians support their patients."