While the deadline for ICD-10 may have fallen back to next year, the healthcare industry is still pushing ahead on Meaningful Use Stage 2, ensuring that EHR systems in clinics and hospitals across the country are brought up-to-date in time for their reporting periods. Meaningful Use offers financial incentives for implementation and adoption of EHR software into medical practices' recordkeeping, which has been shown to improve patient care through accurate data — essentially, it's a win-win for everyone involved. But time is of the essence when it comes to installing chiropractic EHR software that meets Meaningful Use's Stage 2 requirements, which is why the industry is calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to help out.

As EHR Intelligence reports, CMS announced last month that it would collect all of the pertinent information from participating physicians and hospitals on Stage 2 readiness, and then publish it as a database for public health agencies and registries to make use of. The American Hospital Association (AHA) lauded that decision, noting that the availability of such a database would go a long way in reducing the burden on providers of having to coordinate with multiple sources on how and when to receive and process certain sets of data. Now, with the Stage 2 deadlines quickly approaching, the AHA is calling on CMS to publish that database sooner rather than later.

"The AHA greatly appreciates the planned data collection outlined by CMS,' Linda Fishman, the organization's Senior Vice President of Public Policy Analysis & Development, wrote in an official statement. "We urge the agency to promptly create its website to provide a centralized repository on public health readiness to electronically receive the data hospitals must submit under the meaningful use program."

Investing in the best chiropractic EHR software available can help ensure your practice makes the successful jump to Meaningful Use Stage 2 without any disruptions to your daily workflow.