Long-awaited proposed regulations for Stage 2 meaningful-use requirements will be out Thursday, Dr. Farzad Mostashari, head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, said.
The proposed requirements, which will be published as a noticed of proposed rulemaking, were sent to the Office of the Federal Register Wednesday, Mostashari said in a joint CMS-ONC education session at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society's 2012 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas.
Mostashari emphasized that interoperability will play a key role in the regulations. The ONC, through the proposed rules, will make a push on encryption of data at rest, allowing patients to download and transport their data and information exchange. “Here we come on interoperability and exchange,” Mostashari said. He added: “We have done whatever we can to increase the flexibility and decrease the burden of these regulations.”
Earlier, Carol Bean, the ONC's division director for certification and testing, noted that the final rule for Stage 2 standards is scheduled to be released this summer.
More Live@HIMSS Coverage
