New CMS rules may spur EHR uptake

Proposed new rules for long-term care released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid earlier this month could spur an uptake of EHRs by nursing homes across the country. If that uptake occurs, it could be the missing link to making the health system digitally whole. The long-term care sector was left out of the government’s meaningful use program, which, through the HITECH Act, dangled billions of dollars in incentives for EHR uptake in front of medical practices, hospitals and health systems – along with the prospect of penalties further down the road.