Meaningful Use and the EHR

The nation's healthcare system is undergoing a transformation in an effort to improve the quality, safety and efficiency in information exchanges of EHR technology.  EHR vendors can impact patient safety through systems that provide dosage calculators, drug interaction, duplicate therapy checking and ePrescribing.

The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs are created to aid clinicians during the technology transition phase, but the impact of this change on both providers and patients will stretch far beyond the duration of these programs.

The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs provide a financial reward for the meaningful use of EHRs to achieve health and efficiency goals. By implementing and meaningfully using an EHR system, providers will reap benefits beyond financial incentives - like reduction in errors, availability of records and data, reminders and alerts, clinical decision support and e-Prescribing/refill automation.

To qualify for incentive payments, meaningful use requirements must be met in the following ways:

• Medicare EHR incentive program - Eligible professionals and hospitals must successfully demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology every year they participate in the program.

• Medicaid EHR incentive program - Eligible professionals and hospitals may qualify for incentive payments for the adoption, implementation, upgrade or the demonstration of meaningful use in their first year of participation. They must successfully demonstrate meaningful use for the remaining years they participate in the program.