Meaningful use: Start small, think big

[Commentary] Between 13 percent and 35 percent of physicians would not meet the current definition of an "eligible provider" (EP) under the proposed meaningful use rules now being finalized by government health IT policymakers.

That's largely due to their association with academic medical centers or because they practice in a space where they may rely on computer systems provided by hospitals already covered by the terms of the Recovery Act. The full potential of EMRs for improving patient safety, coordinating care, treating chronic illnesses and decreasing healthcare costs will only met if information is widely exchanged across care teams. But has the meaningful use bar been set too low when only one test is required to demonstrate electronic data exchange between unaffiliated organizations?