Many Practices Struggle to Maintain Meaningful Use, CMS Intends to Simplify Its Requirements

​Many medical practices are at high risk of falling behind on meeting the increasingly complex requirements for meaningful use of electronic health records due to a lack of financial resources and access to technical expertise, concludes a study published in the January-February 2015 issue of Annals of Family Medicine. Rural practices and those with limited resources are particularly challenged to keep up with the requirements, found the researchers. In addition to missing the opportunity to earn incentive payments, these practices may face Medicare penalties and have difficulty providing high-quality care.