An advisory panel is wrestling with competing visions of how bold to make measures for the next stage of meaningful use of electronic health records. Time limitations underlie many of the tensions in deciding their path. Vendors need time to develop new software and healthcare providers to install it and then report on quality measures to qualify for stage 2 incentives. Further roiling the mix, the release last month of the proposed rule for establishing accountable care organizations adds another tension because it will also rely on reporting quality measures, according to members of the Health IT Policy Committee.
