ACR to Comment on Meaningful Use Rules

(RESTON) -- ACR to Comment on Meaningful Use Rules

On December 30, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced two of three highly anticipated regulatory notices on the “meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology” Medicare/Medicaid incentives program authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

CMS released a proposed rule (NPRM) on meaningful use, and ONC released an Interim Final Rule (IFR) on standards/criteria for EHR technology. The release of the third regulatory item related to the incentives program—ONC’s expected NPRM on certification process—has been delayed until early 2010.

Both regulatory documents are expected to be published in the January 13 Federal Register with associated 60-day public comment periods. They are now available for public review via the ONC and Federal Register Public Inspection Desk websites.

ACR has been fully engaged with the federal government on the meaningful use issue throughout the year and will develop comments following a thorough analysis of the NPRM and IFR. ACR will also post a brief summary of the materials on the Web site in the near future.

If you have questions or comments about this topic, please contact Michael Peters, Assistant Director of Regulatory and Legislative Portfolio, ACR Government Relations Department, at mpeters@acr-arrs.org or 703-716-7546.

To view the rulemakings and related materials, please visit the ONC Web site

To view prior ACR testimony, actions, and articles on this issue, please visit the ACR Meaningful Use FAQ Webpage.