Posted 30 November 2011

HHS Relaxes Electronic Health Records Standards to Spur Job Creation

The Obama Administration said last week that it would relax certain healthcare regulations in its push to create jobs without waiting for Congress.  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said looser standards for electronic health records are the latest piece of the administration's "we can't wait" campaign. The gradual conversion to electronic records has already created 50,000 jobs since 2009, according to HHS.  The proposed changes will give doctors more time to adjust to new standards for electronic records. Previously, doctors who participated in HHS' incentive program for electronic records had to meet specific standards within two years. Now, those standards won't be mandatory until 2014, even for doctors who sign up next year. (The Hill)