Vangent, Inc., a leading global provider of information management and strategic business process services, published a white paper to help organizations understand “meaningful use” and its impact on electronic health records (EHRs) and healthcare interoperability. Meaningful Use. Not Meaningless Waste(SM): Learn How to Protect Your Investment provides an overview of the current health IT landscape and describes how federal, state and commercial healthcare providers can achieve interoperability and qualify for billions of dollars in reimbursement incentives from the federal government.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) outlined proposed provisions in December 2009 for implementing EHRs and defined the concept of “meaningful use” as it applies to the use of EHR technology. The HITECH Act of 2009 authorized reimbursement incentives to healthcare providers who demonstrate “meaningful use” of EHRs beginning as early as October 2010.
Most patient health records are located in paper files or stored electronically in disparate, proprietary systems. When a patient moves between different healthcare settings, healthcare providers are unable to gain a complete view of a patient’s medical history. To gain this view, healthcare providers are forced to share sensitive patient information through email, faxes and paper copies. Meaningful Use. Not Meaningless WasteSM describes in detail how providers can protect their existing investment in hardware and software, but share patient information electronically quickly while adopting new information standards, staying compliant with regulations. The end result is improved patient care, a reduction in medical errors and reduction in overall costs.
“Funds from the Recovery Act are now being allocated to the states to implement EHRs and Health Information Exchanges to achieve interoperability and ‘meaningful use.’ Vangent’s whitepaper provides States and healthcare organizations with the principles to establish sustainable models for information exchange,” said Kerry Weems, Senior Vice President for Health Strategy at Vangent.
Healthcare interoperability subject matter experts from Vangent’s Health Strategy and Innovation Group authored the paper. Vangent’s deep expertise in Health IT extends to the Office of the National Coordinator, which has incorporated Vangent’s HIEOS™ health data management tool as a component of the CONNECT solution for healthcare data exchange for the Nationwide Health Information Network.
Click here to download a complimentary copy of Meaningful Use. Not Meaningless WasteSM.
