Defining “meaningful use”: Don’t set the bar too low
Posted Apr 30 2009 10:37pm
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) recently released two definitions for “meaningful use” of certified electronic health records technology under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. To HIMSS, EHR technology is “meaningful” when it has capabilities of “e-prescribing, exchanging electronic health information to improve the quality of care, having the capacity to provide clinical decision support to support practitioner order entry and submitting clinical quality measures – and other measures – as selected by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.”
Health IT isn’t just essential for efficiency; it will also improve quality. Now with Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, she can select members of the policy-making committee that can address the issue of health IT strategy – after she addresses the swine flu challenges, of course.
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) recently released two definitions for “meaningful use” of certified electronic health records technology under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. To HIMSS, EHR technology is “meaningful” when it has capabilities of “e-prescribing, exchanging electronic health information to improve the quality of care, having the capacity to provide clinical decision support to support practitioner order entry and submitting clinical quality measures – and other measures – as selected by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.”
The definition of these two little words has been the question of the day. Demonstrating just how critical it is to clearly decide what health IT functions constitute meaningful use, David Blumenthal, the new national coordinator for health IT, emphasized “The definition will inform everything that we do that is related to health IT.” But whatever we do, “ let us not set the bar too low.”
Health IT isn’t just essential for efficiency; it will also improve quality. Now with Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, she can select members of the policy-making committee that can address the issue of health IT strategy – after she addresses the swine flu challenges, of course.