The EMR Use Rule: An Open Letter To Massachusetts Physicians

Last summer, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts enacted legislation that will fundamentally alter the physician-patient relationship by giving politicians the right to specify the processes that must occur during an office visit. The relevant law is Section 108 of Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012, which reads as follows:

The first paragraph of section 2 of chapter 112 of the General Laws … is hereby amended by inserting (the following)… The board (of Registration in Medicine) shall require, as a standard of eligibility for (medical) licensure, that applicants demonstrate proficiency in the use of computerized physician order entry, e- prescribing, electronic health records and other forms of health information technology, as determined by the board. As used in this section, proficiency, at a minimum shall mean that applicants demonstrate the skills to comply with the “meaningful use” requirements (1).