By Healthcare Facilities Today

Roughly one physician in eight has an electronic health record (EHR) system capable of supporting most requirements for Stage 2 of the "meaningful use" program, a government survey found.

According to an article on the Med Page Today website, only 13% of office-based physicians reported an intention to participate in the EHR incentive program and had a system meeting 14 of the 17 Stage 2 core objectives, according to a report released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). About 56% of all physicians intended to participate in the EHR incentive program but didn't meet the core objectives the NCHS addressed.

Stage 1 of meaningful use focuses on capturing and sharing data, and Stage 2 aims to create better communication between providers and medical facilities. Stage 3 will begin in 2017 for those providers that have completed at least 2 years in Stage 2, HHS said late last year as it delayed some parts of the program, the article said.

To qualify for Stage 2 meaningful use incentives in 2014, eligible physicians must meet all 17 core objectives and three of the six menu set objectives. The NCHS said that its 13% finding may be an overestimate, since physicians with EHR systems supporting 14 core objectives may not be able to meet to remaining requirements to receive a payment.

Karen DeSalvo, the national coordinator for Health Information Technology at the Department of Health and Human Services, said that the deadline for early EHR adopters to begin attesting for Stage 2 is October 2014. The deadline for later adopters is farther down the road, the article said.

"This survey was performed in early 2013 -- before 2014 certified products were even available," DeSalvo wrote for The Health Care Blog.

The survey is one the NCHS conducts annually on EHR usage and relies on mailed surveys and follow-up telephone calls to more than 10,300 physicians. The survey was conducted between February and June 2013, according to the article

Nearly 80% of office-based physicians reported some use of an EHR in 2013, the survey found. About 70% had planned to participate in the Medicare or Medicaid incentive program.

Read the article.