Docs In For Stage 2 Rude Awakening

The Stage 2 numbers for eligible docs are, some might say, a little bit scary. 
 
Most office-based physicians are not prepared for the October 2014 beginning attestation date. In fact, many aren't even close. Only 13 percent say their electronic health record systems have the abilities to support 14 of the 17 core Stage 2 objectives, according to a new CDC trends report released last week. 
 
The numbers aren't all bad, however. The HITECH Act, which allocated $27 billion to eligible providers and hospitals that demonstrate meaningful use of EHRs, appears to have had a considerable effect on adoption rates. 
 
For instance, office-based physicians' EHR adoption rates -- for any system -- increased from 18 percent in 2001 to 78 percent in 2013. Moreover, for EHRs meeting the requirements for "basic systems," rates climbed from 11 percent in 2006 to 48 percent seven years later.