Until a few months ago I had never heard of, or even thought about, the words “meaningful use”. Maybe it’s because I just take some things for granted.
What does it mean to have meaningful use of something? For example, think of the telephone. There are hundreds of different manufacturers of phones. There are mobile phones with many added features and functions; there are office phone systems with lots of features and functions. Both types have no language barriers and can communicate country to country, without boundaries.
So how does the "meaningful use" concept apply to my phone? I can communicate with people using any type of phone, anywhere in the world. The key word as it applies to "meaningful use" of my phone? Communication.
What does meaningful use of information technology mean to me? As a respected friend and mentor once taught me, IT is valuable when...
- Data leads to information
- Information leads to knowledge, and
- Knowledge leads to wisdom.
That is meaningful use.
I’ll make a bold assumption that at one point or another, someone in your hospital has said, “Why can’t I get the information I need from the system so I can make an informed decision?” The answer is simple: “The information resides in more than one system, and they do not communicate with each other.”
Could “meaningful use” as it applies to the HITECH Act then be considered the ability to access information?
At the last HIMSS conference, during an HIE session, one person stood up and claimed, “I’m not concerned with an HIE connecting to the outside. I need an HIE that connects all my internal systems.” Is the answer to “meaningful use” that simple?
Hang on, let me call my colleague who has a Motorola Razor using my Apple iPhone, then we can conference in our friend who is sitting at his desk in London, and I’ll get back to you.
Ultimately, how you and I define meaningful use is irrelevant. What truly matters is how patients define it. What do patients want? In this month’s online issue of Healthcare Informatics, David Raths blogged on this very topic. “After reading through transcripts of the recent National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics hearing on trying to define "meaningful use" of health information technology, I was struck by several comments that focused on patient access to information as a central component of meaningful use,” he states. Does this mean that simply having an HIE strategy isn’t enough?
Click here to read the full blog post “Does Meaningful Use = Patient Portal?” While you’re there, be sure to check out the insightful article about the return on investment for patient portals, in the Healthcare Informatics May issue: “Footing the Bill: Patient Portals, Part I.”
