Meaningful use is going to impact the healthcare system in a very large way.

The
insurance companies are looking to change how they reimburse for patient care and it will no
longer be based on how many patients they have cared for, but what their outcomes to the care
they received were. The meaningful use is going to have huge implications on healthcare
facilities it is detrimental that a plan has been set within organizations in order to receive the
most reimbursement. It is thought that organizations that do not set the guidelines for
meaningful use will eventually be fined for not developing their technology to best suit patient
needs and outcomes. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed into
law by president Obama in 2009 offering 19 billion dollars of incentives through Medicare and
Medicaid to hospitals and eligible health providers that adopt a means of technology that will
promote and encourage the use of the EHR and electronic medical records (Jacobsen & Juste,
2010).
Meaningful use emphasizes on coordinating care for patients and that information via the
electronic health record (EHR) can be communicated to all departments and health care
providers caring for a patient (Fortin & Zywiak, 2010). Through the proper use of EHR and
development of technology amongst organizations will assist in creating positive patient
outcomes.
At the facility that I work at there has been huge changes in the IT department and the use
of EHR and EMR. The programs are not working to the most user friendly version currently but
they are up and running by the deadlines that were set by the federal government in order to
maximize reimbursement. Reflecting back over the last couple of years I never understood the
push towards the use of technology and its importance but it is now becoming clearer to me why
there is such a push. It is interesting that when this was signed organizations must have a plan
because it was mentioned in Reimer, 2011 that between 2011 and 2014 reimbursement payments
will get smaller and by 2015 there is not expected to be any.
Clearly identifying and implementing an EHR and EMR are keys into maximizing patient
outcomes which will in turn assure that reimbursement is being received. Being able to
communicate all information via technology available allows all healthcare providers to have a
clear idea of an individuals health status and collaborate with other healthcare professionals in
order to assure the best patient outcomes.
Fortin, J., & Zywiak, W. (2010). Beyond meaningful use getting meaningful value from it.
Healthcare Financial Management, 64(2), 54-59.
Jacobsen, T., & Juste, F. (2010). Nursing in the era of "meaningful use". Nursing Management,
11-13. Retrieved from www.nursingmanagement.com
Reimer, J. (2011). What is meaningful use when it comes to electronic health records?
Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 157-158. doi: DOI: 10.1097/NND.0b013e318218092c