Question

What is meant by the term, 'Meaningful Use'? How does the concept of Meaningful Use differ from other EHR implementation strategies? Public Health Informatics

(Chapter 10 – Q4)

Answer 1

Ans) In the context of health IT, meaningful use is a term used to define minimum U.S. government standards for electronic health records (EHR), outlining how clinical patient data should be exchanged between healthcare providers, between providers and insurers and between providers and patients.

- Meaningful Use was defined by the use of certified EHR technology in a meaningful manner (for example electronic prescribing); ensuring that the certified EHR technology connects in a manner that provides for the electronic exchange of health information to improve the quality of care.

- Although the meaningful use program in the U.S. was part of a successful effort to usher in EHRs, it was also unpopular with providers, who had to meet a slew of requirements to prove meaningful use. In 2018, the program was overhauled and renamed the Medicare and Medicaid Promoting Interoperability Programs by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The term meaningful use is now largely outdated.

- The general intent of meaningful use was to improve the collaboration between clinical and public healthcare, improve patient-centric preventative care and support the continued development of robust, standardized data exchanges.

- In an effort led by both CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), meaningful use was phased into practice and divided into three stages, spanning from 2011 to 2015. In addition, CMS and ONC created incentive programs to encourage eligible professionals or eligible hospitals to adopt, implement and upgrade to certified EHR technologies (CEHRT) and demonstrate meaningful use in compliance with their criteria.