"May 12, 2009--Compuware Corporation (NASDAQ: CPWR) and the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems (AMDIS) today announced that they have joined forces to launch www.meaningfuluse.org. This collaborative web site will promote and advance the national dialogue and education around “meaningful use.” The new site gives the healthcare information technology (HIT) community a single, central location to access resources, collaborate, influence and discuss the definition of “meaningful use” and to learn how to take advantage of the HITECH Stimulus funds."
There may not be two more important words in the english language right now. How they are defined will affect if/how EMRs are fully adopted and whether they are used in a way that truly makes a difference... In other words, the very fate of our healthcare system may rely on how this is defined in the weeks and months ahead.
reprint from meaningfuluse.org
ReplyDeleteI am a full time practicing physician in a field of medicine that is very data driven (Nephrology). First of all I would like to ask our leaders not to reinvent the wheel when trying to decide what is "meaningful use". Use the work done by the USRDS (renal data systems) over the last 10 years. Over that period of time dialysis facilities have submitted data, had it analyzed and published showing over 11 quality indicators.
Now my brother is a cardiologist, and a really good cardiologist at that. But for all the world I could not prove that fact. On the other hand I am a good nephrologists and I can prove it:
http://www.usrds.org/odr/xrender.phtml
How many of you physicians out there even know you own patients’ mortality rate? How about avg. Albumin or Hospital days? Again for the last 10 years we in the nephrology community have discovered and implemented “meaningful use”. Let’s learn from it.
But Hlanda is correct that the devil is in the details. On a daily basis I work with 4 different EHR systems. (dialysis unit, two different hospitals, office system) My office system (A4/AllScripts) does a great job fulfilling the documentation requirement. I can generate the best looking progress note you could imagine. I can bill a high level using it if I wanted to. But in reality the note is completely lacking thought. The system was clearly designed to document a patient encounter for the soul purpose of billing. The system completely misses the boat when it comes to E&M content of any type. Here is the irony; it is the only system I use that is CCHIT certified. My little study of 4 systems clearly shows me that “meaningful use” has two very different meanings. It could mean a billable note or the ability to fax a Rx to the pharmacy. My hope is though that someday “Meaningful Use” means so much more. I hope we define it to mean true quality improvement for my patients’ lives. Then and only then will EHR vendors and healthcare providers work together to provide a truly remarkable system.
This is an exciting time. Move over Penicillin and X-Rays we are on the cusp of the next medical revolution; The ability to handle, digest and make sense of all the data the previous revolutions have give us. Let’s not screw it up by allowing our leaders and vendors to define meaningful use in some shallow context.
Just my thoughts.
Dr. Andy O’Shaughnessy