Unsure of How to Prove Meaningful Use? You're Not Alone...

In a recent study by PricewaterhouseCooper, over 90% of hospital CIOs polled are concerned that they cannot meet government requirements demonstrating meaningful use of electronic health records and clinical decision support systems.

If hospitals are not compliant with the meaningful use guidelines by 2015, they're at risk of facing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement cuts. The problem is that, to this point, there has not been a set of clearly defined requirements. In fact, just today, the CMS submitted the final rule on meaningful use to the Office of Management & Budget today. Hopefully clarification will be coming soon.

One of the concerns voiced by one of the members of PwC is that, "...many health care providers are mired in the complexity of incentive-rule criteria and may not be working towards longer-term goals for meaningful EHR usage." Focusing solely on the incentive piece of the program does not necessarily predicate the consideration of better care and patient safety.

The most important takeaway is: when implementing any system and, specifically, when attempting to meet these guidelines, don't be afraid to talk! Ensure that your EHR vendor is fully aware of your concerns surrounding proving meaningful use and that they have a solid and trustworthy drug database behind them.