Yes, there is an end at sight according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt.
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Mr. Slavitt said that there are big changes in store for the meaningful use program.
But more importantly, he said that the program will likely end within the year.
Meaningful use is expected to be replaced by the Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).
Why the departure from meaningful use?
Stages 2 and 3 made many errors in requiring too much change too fast on the part of physicians. They did not add to the foundation of functionality that was the purpose of Stage 1.
Now there are so many regulations that providers are confused, overwhelmed, and living in fear of audits.
MACRA places an emphasis on a new Merit-Based Incentive Payment System and demands a streamlined regulatory approach, according to Mr. Slavitt.
Even though CMS said that Stage 3 would be moving forward as planned in October 2015, it appears that CMS has changed its approach.
CMS has now pointed to March 25, 2016 as an important date for new CMS initiatives, but did not say why.
Stay tuned to find out what CMS has in store for you.
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