Meaningful Use: Why Is It Meaningful to Pharmacists?

摘要

The Director's Forum series is edited by Robert J. Weber and Scott M. Mark and is designed to guide pharmacy leaders in establishing patient-centered services in hospitals and health systems. This article focuses on meaningful use and the impact and opportunity for pharmacists to influence the way in which it will be embraced within a given hospital and the role that pharmacy will have in meeting key metrics. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 included a major piece of legislation related to information technology in health care called the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH). The purpose of HITECH was to improve patient outcomes and increase the efficiency of health care in the United States by providing financial incentives to hospitals and eligible professionals who use a certified electronic health record (EHR) in a "meaningful way."1 Describing the use of technology in a meaningful way is referred to as "meaningful use." The ARRA defines meaningful use as using a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, using a certified EHR for exchange of health information to improve quality of health care, and using a certified EHR to measure and track clinical quality and other measures.