The Meaningful Use Regulations in Information Technology:What Do They Mean for Quality Improvement in Hospitals?

摘要

By passing the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH),the U.S.Congress sought to catalyze the use of information technology to improve the quality and efficiency of health care in the United States.The legislation not only introduced new automated electronic reporting requirements and defined "meaningful use" criteria for electronic health records (EHRs) but also created financial incentives-and eventually penalties-for providers.In July 2010,the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator released the final meaningful use regulations for 2011.~1 In light of the important role that CMS plays in health care delivery in the United States and the size of the financial incentives (approximately $27 billion),providers and institutions are now scrambling to attempt to meet these new requirements.2 This begs an important question: How should information systems be modified to achieve federal mandates and at the same time have the greatest impact on health care quality and efficiency?