CMS: Final meaningful use, certification rules sent to OMB

How do we know the rules for meaningful use will be out any day now? CMS has sent its regulatory language to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, the final stage in the rulemaking process.

Health Data Management reports that OMB has received the regulations for meaningful use and the related final EHR certification criteria, the latter developed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Once OMB signs off, both rules will be released for viewing at the Federal Register Public Inspection Desk while they await official publication. HHS officials publicly released proposed criteria for meaningful use and an interim final rule on certification Dec. 30, but they were not published until Jan. 13.

With the rules at OMB, CMS can't give an exact date for release, but the Medicare and Medicaid agency stands by its forecast of early summer, according to Health Data Management. CMS had slipped from its earlier targets of late spring, then the end of June. FierceEMR reported last week that the final rules will be out by July 14, which is next Wednesday.

For more:
- read this Health Data Management update

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