While the recently finalized Meaningful Use Stage 2 rules provide "some additional clarity" for radiologists regarding the electronic health record incentive program, many of the final rules surprisingly are identical to the proposed rules, according to a Diagnostic Imaging article recently published. Michael Peters, the legislative and regulatory affairs director for the American College of Radiology, said the end result likely was largely due to a fast turnaround of the final rules from proposed status. "This was probably the result of an extremely quick rule-making that spent less time addressing stakeholders' concerns," Peters told Diagnostic Imaging.
However, Keith Dreyer, radiology vice chair at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that the rules will make Meaningful Use compliance easier for radiologists. "The clinical quality measures are better aligned with other quality incentive programs, making the overall process simple to achieve," Dreyer said. Article