Medical Practice Managers Seek EHR Penalty Moratorium In 2015

Medical group practice administrators are calling on the Obama administration to prevent Medicare payment penalties under the federal electronic health record adoption initiative for physicians. They seek the penalty removal for doctors who already have demonstrated meaningful use of the paperless systems but whose systems do not meet the tougher standards in the next phase of the program.

MGMA-ACMPE, an organization representing medical practice managers, wrote an Aug. 21 letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius citing concerns over EHR vendor readiness and asking for a penalty moratorium. Physician practices achieving stage 1 of meaningful use by 2012 will proceed to stage 2 in 2014. All doctors are expected to demonstrate meaningful use by 2014, with noncompliance triggering a 1% penalty on Medicare pay in 2015.