Senators Join Initiative To Scrutinize Meaningful Use

A couple of weeks ago, four House GOP leaders wrote a letter to HHS head Katherine Sebelius demanding that she account for perceived failures in the Meaningful Use program.

The four congressmen had written a letter to HHS head Kathleen Sebelius to recommend that until MU Stage 2 rules require “comprehensive interoperability,” and hospitals can prove they’re capable of exchanging data, the agency shouldn’t hand out incentive payments.

Politics being what it is, the other shoe had to drop, and now a group of senators have offered their own objections.

Sens. John Thune and Dr. Tom Coburn of the Finance Committee, and Richard Burr and Pat Roberts of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee have formally requested that CMS and ONC staffers meet with the latter committee regarding the final rule for Stage 2 of Meaningul Use.

In a letter to HHS, the senators raise several questions:

* Do EMRs sometimes increase utilization of diagnostic tests, and if so, how should the government respond?

* Have some providers gotten subsidies for EMR systems they had in place prior to the kickoff of  Meaningful Use? If so, what is HHS doing to claw back such payments and prevent future outlays of this kind?

* Has the use of EMRs boosted providers’ billing of Medicare, and thereby raised the cost of the program?

* What is HHS’s strategy for “meaningful interoperability”?

Interestingly, the senators’ letter stops short of demanding a halt on MU payments, which the congressmen did in no uncertain terms.  But they’re clearly antsy about the future of the Meaningful Use program, which has paid out $6.6+ billion in incentives to date.

And you know what?  It’s about time that Congress got interested in the future of EMRs and Meaningful Use specifically.  Better to have them breathing down HHS’ neck now than further down the line when there’s far less opportunity to turn the MU battleship.

About the author

Anne Zieger

Anne Zieger is a healthcare journalist who has written about the industry for 30 years. Her work has appeared in all of the leading healthcare industry publications, and she's served as editor in chief of several healthcare B2B sites.

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