Defining 'Meaningful Use' of EMR/EHR
Understanding the concept of “meaningful use” of EMR/EHR has become very
important in healthcare administration because the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009 (ARRA) mandates that hospitals and physicians should demonstrate meaningful
use of EHRs to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments. So, it makes sense
for us to try to define exactly what consists of “meaningful use” of EMR/EHR products.
The meaningful use matrix is organized into specific meaningful use goals to be achieved by
2011, 2013, and 2015. It also lists metrics for these goals to evaluate hospital and clinician
progress in meeting them.
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has broken down the definition
of “meaningful use” into two sections
- Meaningful users of certified EHR technologies and
- Meaningful use of certified EHR for hospitals
According to HIMSS, in the final stage of meaningful use goal, which commences in 2015, “meaningful use of EHR technologies” will be defined as
- Utilization of an EHR certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®)
- Demonstrated ability to electronically exchange standardized patient summary data with clinical and administrative stakeholders
- Demonstrated practice of electronic prescribing
- Demonstrated reporting of quality and patient safety data
Similarly, HIMSS states “meaningful use of certified EHR by hospitals” should mean
- A functional EHR certified by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT®)
- Electronic exchange of standardized patient data with clinical & administrative stakeholders using the Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel's (HITSP) interoperability specifications and integrating the Healthcare Enterprise's (IHE) frameworks.
- Clinical decision support (CDS) providing clinicians with clinical knowledge and intelligently-filtered patient information to enhance patient care
- Capabilities to support process and care measurement that drive improvements in patient safety, quality outcomes, and cost reductions.