By Healthcare Facilities Today

There is growing concern that far fewer software developers have certified electronic health-record systems for use by healthcare providers under federal Stage 2 meaningful-use requirements than under Stage 1, according to an article on the Modern Healthcare website. 

Vendors are facing problems as they try to develop electronic health record systems that can handle the calculations needed for measures providers must report under the Stage 2 meaningful-use requirements.

This could cause problems for hospitals and office-based physician practices, which must advance quickly from Stage 1 to Stage 2 to avoid penalties but still don't have tested and certified systems for meeting the Stage 2 requirements, the article said.  

This slow progress is one reason some are pushing for a delay in Stage 2 meaningful-use requirements.

The American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the National Rural Health Association, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, the Medical Group Management Association, the American College of Physicians, and the Tennessee Medical Association have all weighed in calling for a Stage 2 delay or adjustment.

The clock for the Stage 2 requirements was Oct. 1 for hospitals that have already attained at least two years of meaningful use of a certified EHR system under the federal program, which aims to boost the use of interoperable health IT systems in the U.S. healthcare industry. 

Read the article.