The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has just issued a proposed rule that will make it more difficult than ever for anesthesiologists and pain physicians to qualify for the Medicare or Medicaid electronic health records (EHR) incentive.  There will be a 60-day comment period, after which CMS will review the feedback and publish a final rule this summer.BackgroundUnder the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, eligible health care professionals and hospitals can qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments when they adopt certified EHR technology and use it in a meaningful way. What is considered “meaningful use” is evolving in three stages:Stage 1 (which began in 2011 and remains the starting point for all providers): “meaningful use” consists of transferring data to EHRs and being able to share information, including electronic copies and visit summaries for...