The Meaningful Use Workgroup of the Health IT Policy Committee recently released draft recommendations for Stage 3 objectives for the Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program.  These recommendations can be found here.

The Health IT Policy Committee is an advisory body that makes recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health IT on policy relating to the development and use of health IT.  The Meaningful Use Workgroup advises the Committee about how “meaningful use” is defined and measured for purposes of the EHR Incentive Program.

Under the EHR Incentive Program, providers are expected to “move from creating information in Stage 1, to exchanging health information in Stage 2, to focusing on improved outcomes in Stage 3.”  See Robert Tagalicod, CMS, & Jacob Reider, ONC, Progress on Adoption of Electronic Health Records, CMS.gov (Dec. 13, 2013, 12:41 PM), http://www.cms.gov/eHealth/ListServ_Stage3Implementation.html.  Stage 3 is scheduled to start in 2017 for providers that have completed at least two years of Stage 2.  Id.

The Workgroup’s draft Stage 3 recommendations build on the Stage 2 objectives in current Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regulations, and add seven new objectives.  The Workgroup is accepting feedback on its draft recommendations before it submits final recommendations to the Health IT Policy Committee on March 11.

CMS plans to release a notice of proposed rulemaking for Stage 3 objectives this Fall and hopes to finalize the rule in the first half of 2015.  See Tagalicod & Reider, supra.