What is "Meaningful Use"?

Meaningful use is one of the most frequently used terms in the healthcare industry. This phrase refers to healthcare professionals using certified EHR technology to improve health outcomes and in ways that can be measured in quality and quantity.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) specifies three main components of Meaningful Use:

The use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, such as e-prescribing.
The use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of health care.
The use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality and other measures.

The criteria for meaningful use will be staged in three steps over the course of the next five years.

Stage 1 (2011 and 2012) sets the baseline for electronic data capture and information sharing.
Stage 2 (expected to be implemented in 2013) and Stage 3 (expected to be implemented in 2015) will continue to expand on this baseline and be developed through future rule making.

Stage 1 is focused healthcare outcome priorities and healthcare professionals using EHR technology to accompish the following:

Improve quality, safety, efficiency, and reduce health disparities
Engage patients and families in their health care
Improve care coordination
Improve population and public health
Ensure adequate privacy and security protections for personal health information

Click here for a list of Stage 1 Objectives