Ambulatory providers are growing concerned about their ability to meet Stage 3 of the meaningful use program, with confidence levels in meeting such requirements falling from 33% in 2012 to 25% in 2014, according to a recent HIMSS Analytics study, FierceEMR reports.

Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health records can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.

Report Details

For its annual report, HIMSS Analytics researchers surveyed 563 IT executives working at free-standing and hospital-affiliated ambulatory facilities (Durben Hirsch, FierceEMR, 9/11).

HIMSS Analytics is the research arm of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.

The report focused on several topics, including:

• Barriers to EHR adoption;
• EHR market penetration;
• EHR vendor consideration; and
• Motivation to purchase EHRs.

In addition, the study examined organizations' plans to invest in EHR and ambulatory practice management services over the next two years (HIMSS Analytics release, 9/4).

Study Findings

The study found Stage 2 attestation had only been achieved by:

• 25.7% of free-standing facilities; and
• 36.2% of hospital-affiliated facilities.

In addition, the survey found that:

• 24.5% of respondents reported having a clear strategy for joining an accountable care organization; and
• 45% of respondents reported having a clear strategy for joining a health information exchange.

The report stated that hospital-owned ambulatory providers were more likely than free-standing facilities to join such initiatives (FierceEMR, 9/11).