You've done it -- implemented an electronic health record (EHR) system successfully, met stage 1 meaningful use requirements (all 20 of them!) and even proceeded to have your providers finish attesting using CMS's online system. Where then, is your money? The answers are in the fine print, CMS says in a new addition to its frequently asked questions website on EHR.

Patient data stored in existing electronic health record (EHR) systems isn't very secure, according to new reports from the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). In an audit of seven different hospitals, the OIG uncovered 151 "vulnerabilities," of which 124 were determined to be "high impact." That term means the vulnerabilities could result in costly losses of tangible assets, may significantly harm an organization's reputation, and may even cause injury or death to patients.

CMS released a new batch of FAQs Friday regarding Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, which could aid your eager pursuit of attesting meaningful use. Some of CMS's responses include clarification on what "exchange of electronic information" means in the “capability to exchange key clinical information” objective, how to count patients in “swing beds” and in nursery day care as part of the meaningful use denominator and more.

CMS walked through electronic health record (EHR) attestation in a conference call Tuesday, easing some provider concerns.

CMS released the online EHR attestation system in late April and instructed providers step-by-step on how to use the system during the conference call.  There have been over 35,000 eligible attestations so far this year, CMS said. But the brevity of the instructional part of the call was offset by the volume of questions providers still had about the process. Here are some points CMS made clearer during the call: 

CMS's push for you and your peers to adopt electronic health record (EHR) systems by 2016 has a passionate advocate in Administrator Donald Berwick, MD, a former pediatrician appointed by the Obama administration. Dr. Berwick, who is generally well regarded in the physician community, appears in a four-minute YouTube video released last week to make a personal case for EHR adoption. Dr. Berwick describes the benefits of an EHR from his clinical perspective, and tells an interesting anecdote of treating an autistic native American child in a remote reservation.