The Vendors Enter the Stage 2 Fray

It will be fascinating to see how (if at all) ONC officials respond to this latest salvo. The letter to Dr. Tang certainly packs a punch, as the EHRA represents virtually every healthcare IT vendor of any size (as well as many smaller ones) with an interest in the meaningful use process. And, just as the medical association letter contrasted with that of the Consumer Partnership for eHealth (the coalition of consumer, senior and labor groups), so does the EHRA letter contrast with the consumer group’s communication. What is emerging more and more clearly is a very strong, dynamic tension between the providers and vendors on the one hand, who will have to implement everything under HITECH, and the consumer groups whose interest is in a rapid and comprehensive transformation of the healthcare system and an acceleration in healthcare IT change. Next up? Purchasers and payers. But whose voices will ONC officials give the most weight to? And how much modification will it be possible to make in either direction, going into stage 2? Stay tuned in the months ahead for the answers to emerge.