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ARRA and Meaningful Use of an EHR
The ARRA calls for incentive payments to physicians who use a certified EHR. Starting in 2011, physicians who can demonstrate that they are using their EHR in a meaningful way will be eligible for the incentive payments. What exactly does Meaningful Use entail and what constitutes a certified EHR? Although these questions have not yet been definitively answered, a clear enough picture is beginning to emerge that physicians should not wait for the final details before making an EHR investment.
John Halamka, MD and Harvard Medical School CIO agrees, "Meaningful use is demonstrating to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the professional is using a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, which includes the use of e-prescribing, electronic HIE, and submission of information on clinical quality measures. Additional clarity on interoperability will be complete by the end of 2009. I do not believe clinicians should wait for all the details before investing. They should begin EHR implementation now." http://geekdoctor.blogspot.com/2009/04/what-is-meaningful-use.html
More details about how Meaningful Use is shaping up can be found by looking at the position statement that HIMSS is developing on the topic. The following document provides a useful look at the current discussion while offering a starting point for anticipating Meaningful Use http://www.himss.org/EconomicStimulus/docs/HIMSSDraftMeaningfulUseforPhysicians.pdf
For organizations that have already begun the process of deploying an EHR, now is the time to re-examine the design decisions and deployment plans to make sure they will meet the final definition of Meaningful Use. Organizations who have already completed their EHR deployment should consider the following questions:
- Are all physicians using the EHR? If not, is the current deployment schedule adequate?
- Is there workflow consistency and full use of the EHR functionality?
- Is data being captured discreetly?
- What is the current state of your organization’s quality reporting initiatives?
Until the details of Meaningful Use are finalized and the full implications are known, it is useful to reflect on the intent of the EHR subsidies and remember what the Government is trying to accomplish. A successfully- implemented, robust EHR system can provide numerous benefits to physicians, patients and payers, but the promises of quality improvement and cost reduction are the primary drivers of this multi-billion dollar investment. Understanding how to realize these benefits from an EHR today will go a long way towards being eligible for the incentives starting in 2011.
Whether your organization is fully live on an EHR or just starting to plan the implementation, now is a good time to begin considering the implications of Meaningful Use and assessing the readiness of your organization to take advantage of the coming incentives.
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Signed into law by President Barack Obama on February, 17 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is set to offer health information technology an expected $19 billion. Wikipedia
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