The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) encourage public comment on two regulations published on December 30, 2009.

The proposed rule issued by CMS outlines provisions governing the EHR incentive programs, including defining the “meaningful use” of EHR technology. The rule also outlines the proposed payment methodologies for the Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs.

An interim final regulation issued by ONC sets initial standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHR technology.  Under federal statute the interim final regulation will go into effect 30 days after publication, with an opportunity for public comment and agency refinement for 60 days following publication.

The CMS proposed rule and fact sheets may be viewed at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Recovery/11_HealthIT.asp

ONC’s interim final rule may be viewed at http://healthit.hhs.gov/standardsandcertification.

In early 2010 the ONC intends to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking related to the certification of health information technology.