Mostashari To EHR Makers: Be 'Moral And Right' Or Else

...Mostashari said that some vendors go beyond the boundaries of what society views as proper, in their lack of opaque pricing. He said he gets complaints from providers on a daily basis, saying that some pricing or contract requirements are unfair to them, and asking if there could be some federally regulated norms around pricing.

Data lock-in is another area where some vendors take advantage, Mostashari said. "It is not in the patients' and providers' best interests. We will take regulatory action where needed," he said. “We can’t have it purely be a function of, “I will do what is legally required of me, no more and no less.'"

Some vendors include what Mostashari called "chilling language" in their contracts that discourage providers from moving to another vendor. These vendors may tell providers they will lose the ability to report safety events. Mostashari said there is no explicit language in the current meaningful use regulations to prohibit this. “We are expecting vendors to step up,” he said, “but if we have to, we will go back to the regulatory process.”...