Health IT Policy Panel Approves Revisions on 'Meaningful Use'

The Health IT Policy Committee approved a work group's revised recommendations for defining "meaningful use" of electronic health records. For the new recommendations, the work group revised objectives for EHRs to meet by certain deadlines. The revised 2011 criteria call for qualified health care providers to: Allow patients to access their health records in a timely manner; Develop capabilities to exchange health information where possible; Implement at least one clinical decision support rule for a specialty or clinical priority; Provide patients with electronic copies of discharge instructions and procedures; Submit insurance claims electronically; and Verify insurance eligibility electronically when possible. The group also called for health care providers to allow all patients to access personal health records by 2013, two years earlier than under the initial recommendations. In addition, the revised recommendations include an objective for all providers to participate in a national health data exchange by 2015.