As previously reported in this blog, the final rulings on stage two of meaningful use requirements will be coming out this summer, which may bring healthcare professionals to scramble to meet the demands. Stage two seems to be a huge hurdle for many chiropractic offices and other healthcare facilities.

One of the biggest obstacles behind stage two is its mandate requiring all medical organizations to provide more than 50 percent of their patients with electronic health records as well as evidence that at least 10 percent of these patients actually downloaded and viewed their health records. Also, healthcare organizations including chiropractic offices will need to offer 10 percent of patients with educational resources generated through EHR systems, according to InformationWeek Healthcare.

These requirements would prove difficult for many organizations to meet, but specifically small medical practices may have the hardest time. The American Hospital Association (AHA) has spoken out vigilantly against these measures, claiming that such downloads raise security risks and surpass "current technical capacity."

However, the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has taken a stance separate from that of AHA. The organization does support providing the ability for patients to view their health records, but is not in favor of providers ensuring that 10 percent of their patients download the healthcare information.

"The public comment period for Stage 2 MU ended on May 7, so we'll soon find out whether these and other objections affect the final rules," the news source stated. "Many are taking major steps to make their EHR systems much more patient-centric. As you might expect, big players like Kaiser Permanente are taking the lead in this regard. Earlier this year, it provided a convenient way for its nearly 9 million patients to access their EHRs using smartphones and other mobile devices."

Chiropractors who seek to meet stage two of meaningful use requirements may need to purchase EHR systems that include tools with the capability of providing a patient-centric platform.