By Healthcare Facilities Today

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has been explaining its vision for the electronic health record market and working to help providers dealing with EHR implementation, the ICD-10 conversion, clinical quality measures and evolving care models, according to an article on the CIO website.

The ONC's statements were made at the recent Health Information and Management Systems Society's "HIMSS 2014" conference, the article said

In December, the ONC and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a one-year delay in the meaningful use timeline. Stage 2, which emphasizes more advanced clinical processes, now ends one year later, in 2016, with stage 3 and its emphasis on improved outcomes beginning in 2017.

Providers have until Oct. 1 to make the switch to the ICD-10 code set, according to the article.

The ONC told HIMSS attendees to expect flexibility with meaningful use stage 2 hardship exemptions. Since meaningful use and the ICD-10 conversion have already been delayed once, their deadlines won't be moved again, but CMS said providers who can't meet stage 2 criteria won't receive incentives money but they won't be penalized.

Read the article.