Important And Implications Of Meaningful Use For Healthcare

In 2009, the U.S. Government passed The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (Mangalmurti, Murtagh and Mello 2060). The HITECH Act authorizes grants and incentives to promote the “meaningful use” of electronic health records (EHR) by providers (2060). The effect is a high commitment to a technology-led system reform, urging a renewed national commitment to building an information infrastructure to support health care delivery, consumer health, quality measurement and improvement, public accountability, clinical and health services research, and clinical

Electronic health records can provide many benefits for providers and their patients, but the benefits depend on how they 're used. Meaningful use is the set of standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Incentive Programs that governs the use of electronic health records and allows eligible providers and hospitals to earn incentive payments by meeting specific criteria. The goal of meaningful use is to promote the spread of electronic health records to improve health care in the United States. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act provides the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) with the authority to establish

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 identified three main components of meaningful use: the use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of care, and the use of technology to submit clinical outcomes and quality measures (Heath Resources and Service Administration, n.d.). ARRA includes many measures to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, with the “Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act” being an example. The HITECH Act is an effort led by Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) in support of electronic health records and meaningful use (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC 2016). According to Galbraith (2013), the HITECH Act aims to promote the use of EHRs by providing over $27 billion in monetary incentives for health care providers that become “meaningful users”. CMS uses these core objectives to determine if a health care provider has satisfied meaningful use and is eligible to receive financial incentives (Galbraith, 2013).

Organizations will have these incentives and programs in place that will seek to improve the over all health of Americans along with the performance of our health care system. “Meaningful Use” through the use of the electronic medical records system will have five areas that they will be focusing on to do just that. These goals consist of;

The American Recovery and Revitalization Act of 2009 brought meaningful use of patient records to help increase the improvement of patient care. With certified electronic health record technology, one goal is to improve quality, safety, efficiency, and to decrease health discrepancies. Some more goals are to get patient and family engaged in their care, continue to improve care coordination, and maintain privacy and security of patient health information. In order to achieve these goals, healthcare facilities must continue to stress the importance of patient engagement and to use the patient portal for healthcare information (“Meaningful Use Definition,” n.d.). Patient engagement is defined as a person’s continued participation in dealing

Access the CMS website and locate information regarding the Meaningful Use Act. In 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) legislation was created to stimulate the adoption of electronic health records(EHR) and supporting technology in the United States. On Feb 17, 2009, President Obama signed HITECH into law as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) economic stimulus bill. The HITECH Act outlined the intended plans for the adoption of electronic health records through meaningful use. The CMS Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs have evolved into three stages of meaningful use with their own priorities, goals and their own final rule. Meaningful Use means “providers

For over 10 years, all areas of industry have been investing in informational technology (IT). IT offers faster and more proficient care especially for the healthcare industry. Health information technology (HIT) is making significant changes in how care is being delivered and addressed for patients and healthcare workers. HIT includes electronic health records (EHR), personal health records (PHI), electronic prescribing and more. The potential list is endless. HIT provides for more accurate and efficient documentation, prescriptions, and education. The Obama administration came up with an answer to help in HIT by instituting the meaningful use. This paper will discuss the overview of meaningful use, its’ core criteria, and recommendations for additional criteria.

Meaningful use may have helped the increase in implementation of healthcare information technology by providing overall the best quality and safety we can for the patients. HIT made it easier for doctors and administrators to provide better care for patients. Electronic Health Record (EHR) focused on the patient’s well-being. Also, it has helped make patients and their family engage with each other and feel comfortable with their doctor. With all these benefits we were getting from technology it became easier for society to notice how important we needed healthcare information technology. Being exposed more to it also made it easier for doctors and administrator’s to give the public what they deserve when it came to healthcare. Meaningful use

According to the ONC, “meaningful use” means that certified EHRs are used to improve efficiency, safety, and quality; to reduce health disparity; to engage patients and their families; to improve coordination of care; and to maintain privacy and security of health information (“How to attain,” 2013). The vision was that compliance with the meaningful use requirements will ultimately result in, among others, improved clinical health and population health outcomes (“How to attain,” 2013).

The ARRA includes the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which pursues to improve American Healthcare and patient care through an extraordinary investment in Healthcare IT (HIT). The requirements of the HITECH Act are precisely designed to work jointly to provide the necessary assistance and technical operation to providers, enable grammatical relation and organization within and among states, establish connectivity in case of emergencies, and see to it the workforce is properly trained and equipped to be meaningful users of certified Electronic Health Records (EHRs). These computer software products are designed collaboratively to intensify the footing for every American to profit from an electronic health record (EHR) as part of a modernized, interrelated, and vastly improved grouping of care delivery.

In addition to the core elements, providers will have to choose any five of the ten additional tasks to implement in 2011-2012. Some examples of these might be clinical lab results, patient appointment reminders and drug-formulary checks. This gives the providers a chance to choose their own path toward full EHR implementation and meaningful use. Legislation ties payments to the achievement of advances in health care processes and outcomes. The regulations are specific as to when providers will have to use particular functions in order to be considered meaningful users. The meaningful use rule acknowledges the urgency of adopting the electronic health record and recognizes the challenges it will pose on all providers.

The concept of Meaningful Use (MU) was created as a result of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the included Heath Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). The goal of MU is to enhance healthcare safety, efficiency, and quality; decrease disparities in the provision of healthcare; increase individual’s involvement in their care; improve continuity of care; enhance public and population health; and promote the protection and privacy of personal health information. The implementation of MU is to occur in three stages ("Meaningful Use: Introduction," 2012).

Meaningful use improves care coordination, quality, efficiency, and safety for patients and physicians. It allows the physicians to provide the best possible quality care that may prevent diseases through safety of patients, patient centeredness, timeliness, equity and accessibility. The clinicians can see who is most effected by the disease, what age group, and what gender, and what age group through health care analytics. As a result, the physician can be educated on what precautions to take in the future, in order to improve his expertise and knowledge. As well as learn which medications treat the condition on the effected group of

In a health information technology (HIT) relation, Meaningful Use (MU), translates minimum United States government standards for the use of electronic health records (EHR) and for alternating patient clinical data among healthcare providers, between healthcare providers and patients and health care providers and insurers.

Initially, meaningful use was a voluntary program with the objective that compliance would result in improved clinical outcomes, increased transparency, and improved population health. In the initial phase of meaningful use, financial incentives were the enticement for the utilization of electronic health records, whereas, later, financial penalties were levied for non-compliance (Berkowitz, 2015). Clearly, if your organization has met stage two meaningful use requirements, they are doing well. Furthermore, the fact that the facility has received incentive payments attests to a successful implementation. The organization clearly has opportunity for improvement in regards to syndromic surveillance, immunizations, and reportable lab results,