By Dr . David Nilasena , Chief Medical Officer , Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ’, Southwest region

On Aug . 23 , 2012 , the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published the final rule for Stage 2 of the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs . The rule provides new criteria that eligible professionals , eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals must meet to participate in the incentive programs .

Stage 2 Timeline

requirements . Now , the earliest that Stage 2 will be effective is fiscal year 2014 for eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals or calendar year 2014 for eligible professionals .

early demonstrators of meaningful use in 2011 will meet three consecutive years of meaningful use under the Stage 1 criteria before advancing to the Stage 2 criteria in 2014 . All other providers would meet two

Resources

For more information on Stage 2 , please visit the CMS website at http :// www . cms . gov / Regulations-and-Guidance / Legislation / EHRIncentivePrograms / Stage _ 2 . html

If you have not participated in the Medicare or Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs , or if you have never achieved meaningful use under the Stage 1 criteria , please visit the CMS website at www . cms . gov / EHRIncentivePrograms for more information about how to take part in the program . t

In the Stage 1 meaningful use regulations , CMS established a timeline that required providers to progress to Stage 2 criteria following two program years under the Stage 1 criteria . This original timeline would have required Medicare providers who first demonstrated meaningful use in 2011 to meet Stage 2 criteria in 2013 . However , CMS delayed the onset of Stage 2

The table below illustrates the progression of meaningful use stages based on the year a Medicare provider begins participation in the program . Note that providers who were

years of meaningful use under the Stage 1 criteria before advancing to the Stage 2 criteria in their third year .

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As the chief medical officer of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ’ Southwest region , Dr . David Nilasena , MD , MSPH , MS , has helped a broad range of health care provider groups understand the requirements of the electronic health record incentive programs since their inception in 2011 .