Physicians struggling to meet federal electronic health record sharing regulations

While overall electronic health record (EHR) adoption is up nationally, many physicians are finding it difficult to meet the CMS’ rules pertaining to meaningful use—how well a provider uses EHR technology—especially when it comes to sharing data.

Meaningful use’s first stage requirements pertain to a physician’s ability to capture and share data internally; the second stage expands data sharing to other physicians and hospitals outside of physicians’ immediate network. Due to the fact that there are still many health providers who have not installed an EHR or are not using them well, physicians seeking to earn stage two certification must wait for others to catch up.