Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Meaningful Use Update

Late last year, a College of Health Information Management Executives (CHIME) survey indicated that confidence in meeting meaningful use deadlines had dropped in the months following the launch of the program. Previous reports were a lot more optimistic putting the number of first year adopters at 28%.

It is important to note that the overall results have not changed: even with the new survey, almost 90% respondents expect to meet Stage 1 criteria by 2012. In a large change management exercise, it is common to see early optimism shift as the realities of implementation take hold. That said, the report is likely to spur additional debate on the extent of the impact of HITECH funding.

Observers generally agree that Meaningful Use will drive the Healthcare IT agenda for the next few years; whether it makes a meaningful impact on the quality of care is another matter.