Docs, hospitals win delay in records deadline

Doctors and hospitals won a reprieve Friday when the Obama administration officially delayed part of an electronic health records (EHR) program. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are now permitting healthcare providers to receive incentive payments this year even if they failed to adopt 2014-certified EHR software. The change means that doctors and hospitals will not be penalized if they fail to move into Stage 2 of the "Meaningful Use" program on time. The final rule, released Friday, also extended Stage 2 through 2016 and announced that Stage 3 would begin in 2017.