Advanced use of standardized terminologies addresses problems such as safety, quality and cost in most health care facilities. Health care providers have adopted the use of electronic health records that need adjustments to incorporate modern care delivery models and financial compensation. Therefore, healthcare organizations need strong and flexible strategies to facilitate them to achieve meaningful use. These strategies include the use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), and Health information Systems (HIS) that boost the exchange of information between healthcare systems and functions (Hebda & Czar, 2013). As a result, providers should merge health IT devices and services to improve the quality of care.
The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) of Health IT sets requirements that regulate and assess the EHR technologies in order to attain meaningful use. The main goal of ‘meaningful use’ is to advance the increase of digitized health records to improve health care (Blumenthal, 2011). Therefore, for technologies to be meaningful they must be usable and useful. This facilitates health providers to record complete and accurate healthcare information, access and use recorded information for diagnosis, share information more easily, and provide patient empowerment (Hebda & Czar, 2013). In addition, facilities receive incentives from Medicare and Medicaid to adopt the use of EHRs, and adopt health programs.
However, to receive financial incentives, health facilities should not only adopt the EHR technology, but also demonstrate meaningful use. For example, in 2011 and 2012, healthcare facilities were required to participate in activities of reporting to public health agencies. The activities included submitting reportable lab reports, immunization electronic data, and disease surveillance data (Blumenthal, 2011), and were aimed at proving stableness of EHR technologies in facilities.
References
Blumenthal, D. (2011). The Age of Meaningful Use. Web.
Hebda, T., & Czar, P. (2013). Handbook of informatics for nurses healthcare professionals (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.