Chief information officers at healthcare groups have fewer reservations about the meaningful use rules today than they did six months ago, according to a new survey.

The College of Health Information Management Executives surveyed 198 CIOs about their organization's technology initiatives. While 66 percent said they had concerns about meeting all of the meaningful use rules, that number was down significantly from the 90 percent who reported worry back in March.

The sharp decrease in executive concern over meaningful use was accompanied by an uptick in the number of individuals who expect their organization will qualify for stage 1 meaningful use and begin receiving payments sometime between fiscal year 2011 and 2013. More than 90 percent of respondents said their group will meet this deadline.

Furthermore, the survey revealed that the specific worries of CIOs have diminished. Rather than be concerned about implementing an EHR system or getting physicians to buy into the technology, most respondents were primarily anxious about meaningful use specifics. Meeting requirements for clinical quality reporting was the top concern.