Meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technologies is a term used in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). It is clearly defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in a “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking” (NPRM) as the use of health information technology (IT) to further the five broad goals (see below) of the ARRA and to further the goal of information exchange among health professionals. There is also an interim final rule (IFR) published by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) regarding an initial set of standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for EHRs.

What is the purpose of the law?

Congress designed the legislation to improve US health care through the development of a solid health information infrastructure, while simultaneously stimulating the economy through new investment and job growth. Specifically, there are five broad goals: (a) improve quality, safety, efficiency, and reduce health disparities; (b) engage patients and families; (c) improve care coordination; (d) ensure adequate privacy & security protections for personal health information; and, (e) improve population and public health.

What does meaningful use of certified EHR technologies mean to health care providers?

Providers can earn a Medicare or Medicaid incentive payment(s) by demonstrating meaningful use of a certified EHR technology. CMS’s NPRM clearly defines that functionality. You can learn more by reading through the summaries and in-depth FAQs on the Health care Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) website.

Who is an eligible professional?

As per the CMS NPRM, it is one of five types of professionals legally authorized to practice their profession under state law and are not hospital-based: a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, a doctor of dental surgery or dental medicine, a doctor of podiatric medicine, a doctor of optometry, or a chiropractor. As this is a very complex discussion, more detailed information is available on the HIMSS website.

Information provided was obtained from the Health Care Information and Management Systems Society.