The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has released a brief on the available options for meeting the transition of care measure that is required for meaningful use stage 2.

Seventy-one percent of physicians believe the promise of reduced costs resulting from increased use of health IT is inflated and that HIT will actually end up costing more, according to an insights paper released by Deloitte.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists announced that it has submitted formal comments to the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, urging the continuation of the hardship exemption for anesthesiologists through stage 3 of the meaningful use program.

Currently, around 66 percent of physicians say they use electronic health records to meet meaningful use stage one requirements, according to the Deloitte 2013 Survey of U.S. Physicians.

The focus on engaging patients in their care and the need to meet meaningful use requirements converge in one online tool: the patient portal. Patient portals on a health system's website can allow patient to easily schedule appointments, contact their provider and access other resources, which engages them in their care. These portals also help hospitals and physicians fulfill meaningful use stage 2 requirements of providing patients the ability to view their health information online and using electronic health records to identify patient-specific education resources.

A bill introduced to the House of Representatives would offer an electronic health record penalty exemption to near retirement-age physicians who fail to adopt systems, according Medscape.

A new bill has been proposed by Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), which aims to reduce regulatory burdens for Medicare providers and tailor meaningful use requirements to better meet their needs, according to a Healthcare IT News report.

ICD-10 and meaningful use present significant changes and challenges for orthopedic practices, and a panel of physicians at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting 2013 tackled several steps toward preparedness.

CMS will delay making rules on stage 3 meaningful use of electronic health records until next year while it examines how the existing requirements are rolling out, CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner said at the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society Annual Conference in New Orleans, March 3-7, 2013, according to an AHA News Now report.

A new study, published in the March issue of Health Affairs, found that the average physician will lose $43,743 over five years after adopting electronic health record systems.