Bill allowing MU Stage 2 hardship exemptions signed into law

Editor's Note

A bill designed to make it easier for healthcare providers to receive hardship exemption from financial penalties for failing to meet Stage 2 meaningful use (MU) electronic health record (EHR) requirements was signed into law on December 28, 2015, the January 4, 2016, iHealthBeat reports.

The bill ensures eligible providers “flexibility in applying the hardship exemption for meaningful use for the 2015 EHR reporting period for 2017 payment adjustments.”

Physicians have until March 15, 2016, to apply for exemption, and hospitals have until April 1.

President Obama has signed into law a bill that aims to make it easier for providers to obtain hardship exemptions to Stage 2 of the meaningful use program. An official at the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives praised the bill's flexibility but said more must be done to fix the meaningful use program.