Meaningful Use Stages
When they proposed a final ruling for meaningful use, HHS determined that there would be several stages of meaningful use. This graduated process allows practices to gain a meaningful use footing, and then progress toward the government’s ultimate goals.
Meaningful use is separated into three stages. Stage 1 was issued in July 2010 and stage 2 was issued August 2012. Stage 3 will be defined in a future ruling.
The chart below displays how the stages will be implemented. Essentially, you will spend two years on each stage, regardless of the year you start. This chart is for EPs only. Hospitals and CAHs have their own charts, found in the Final Ruling.
| First Year |
Stage of Meaningful Use | ||||||
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2012 | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2013 | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 2014 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2015 | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2016 | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
| 2017 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 |
Note: The longer you delay starting stage 1, the fewer incentives you will be eligible for. See our Incentive Payments page for more information.
