The Three Stages Of Meaningful Use In Healthcare

“Meaningful Use” implemented in July, 2010, set criteria’s for physicians and hospitals to adhere, in order to qualify for certain financial incentives and to be deemed meaningful users (MU) of the EMR. Meaningful use in healthcare is defined as using certified electronic health record to improve quality, safety, efficiency, and reduce mortality and morbidity. There are 3 stages of meaningful use implementation. The requirements for the 3 stages are spread out over a period of 5 years. MU mandates that physicians meet 15 core objectives and hospitals meet 14 core objectives (Hoffman & Pudgurski, 2011). The goal is to in-cooperate the patient and family in their health, empower autonomy to make decisions while improving care in all population.

It is true that all EMR’s may not have the same functionality, but the overall outcome should be the safety and wellbeing of the patient. Standardized billing is an excellent way to make good use of the EMR. The ability to capture revenue in a faster and more concise manner is always a benefit for any healthcare facility. Monies that were once considered lost or “written off” expenses can now be captured due to the EHR.

Portability can improve patient care. Patients no longer have to “tote” their cumbersome medical records around anymore. EHR’s give physicians and clinicians access to critical healthcare information in the palm of their hand, which ultimately leads to improved patient care outcomes. EHR’s also provide security to vital medical and personal healthcare information. Organizations like HIPPA defines policies, procedures and guidelines for preserving the privacy and security of discrete distinguishable health information (HHS.gov,

The goal of ONC is to guarantee that health care clinicians and hospitals purchase a system that meets certain standards and criteria to perform those tasks. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), introduce the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs that offers financial incentives to eligible providers, hospitals and critical access facilities. To qualify for these benefits, providers, hospitals and critical access must show “meaning full” use of the EMR (Tripathi, 2012).

To be considered meaningful users of the EMR, the qualified applicant must use clinical content that is consistent and standardized across systems and healthcare settings, use decision support tools such as alerts and reminders, have the ability to collect and store raw data from documentation that can be used for reporting purposes, collect and report data to the state. Reporting of data will help to improve public health and awareness and provide sharing of information between systems (Tripathi,