Bring out Your Dead ...

ONC and CMS clarified today what the premature announcement of the death of Meaningful Use by Andy Lavitt last week means for Doctors and Hospitals:

• Current law requires continued measurement of Meaningful Use as specified under existing regulations!  MACRA neither eliminates MU, nor makes it better.  But ONC and CMS are apparently listening well enough to put a good spin on things.
• The M in MACRA stands for Medicare, and only affects physician and clinician payment adjustments. EHR incentive programs for hospitals still needs work.
• The new approach will likely take a couple of years to figure out, though you can expect some of that regulation to start showing up later this year.
• CMS will be making it easier for healthcare providers to claim hardship.

As Monty Python would say: "It's not dead yet!"