Notice of Proposed Rule-Making

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announces the release of the notices of proposed rule-making (NPRMs) for Stage 2 of meaningful use and updated certification criteria.

The ONC rule proposes the capabilities and related standards and implementation specifications that Certified EHR Technology will need to include to, at a minimum, support the achievement of "meaningful use" by eligible health care providers beginning with the EHR reporting periods in FY/CY 2014.  The rule also proposes revisions to the permanent certification program for health information technology, which include changing the name of the program to the "ONC HIT Certification Program."

ONC's rule complements the newly released Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed rule for Stage 2 of the Medicare and Medicaid Incentive Programs, clarifying the specifications necessary to meet the criteria for these programs.

ONC is seeking feedback through the Stage 2 rule on how to increase patient safety through updated certification criteria, how to improve data portability, and how to increase price transparency with regard to certified Complete EHRs or EHR Modules.

ONC Proposed Rule:

• Read the ONC Proposed Rule [PDF - 2.3 M]   [Word* - 807 K] >
• ONC fact sheet [PDF - 99 K] >
• Submit a Public Comment on the ONC Proposed Rule >
• Public Comment Template [PDF - 725 K]   [Word* - 76 K] >

The following additional resources are provided to illustrate the relationship of 2014 edition certification criteria to the policy proposals in the ONC proposed rule.

• 2011 and 2014 Edition Certification Criteria Crosswalk [PDF - 147 K] >
• 2011 to 2014 Edition Certification Criteria Equivalency Table [PDF - 152 K] >
• Proposed 2014 Edition Certification Criteria Required to Satisfy the Proposed Definition of a Base EHR [PDF - 86 K] >
• Proposed 2014 Edition Certification Criteria Required to Satisfy the Proposed Definition of Complete EHR [PDF - 129 K]
• "Bull's-eye" diagrams for each type of eligible health care providers (EPs and EHs/CAHs) that map how the proposed 2014 Edition EHR Certification Criteria associate with the Proposed 2014 CEHRT Definition and the stage of MU the eligible health care provider is seeking to achieve in and after FY/CY 2014 [PDF - 1.5 M]   [PPTX* - 117 K] >

CMS Proposed Rule:

• Read the CMS Proposed Rule [PDF - 6.8 MB] >
• CMS fact sheet >
• Submit a Public Comment on the CMS Proposed Rule >

Additional Resources:

• Watch the Meaningful Use Stage 2 NPRM Overview >
• HHS press release >
• Presentation: Proposed Rule Standards & Certification Criteria 2014 Edition [PDF - 1.3 MB] >
• 2012 February HIT Standards Committee Presentation: Proposed Rule Standards & Certification Criteria [PDF - 1.5 MB]
• Health IT Buzz Blog post >

*This is a courtesy copy for convenience of the public only. To ensure that we are able to understand and respond to comments, submit narrative explanations of your comments following the instructions included in the notice of proposed rule-making [PDF - 2.3 MB].