Importance of Defining “Meaningful Use” and “Certified EHR”

John at Chilmark Research posted a note about the importance of how ONC and HHS define the terms “meaningful use” and “certified EHR.” I wanted to echo his comment so here it is:

Note: We can not emphasize enough just how important these two terms (meaningful use & certified EHRs) are to the market. These terms will literally define the HIT market for the next decade and whether you are an HIT vendor or one looking to adopt an HIT solution, having a clear understanding of what these terms mean and their implications will be critical to your success.

Basically, the $36.3 million in EHR stimulus money is dependent on “meaningful use of certified EHRs.” That’s a lot of money and influence on two terms. I hope as many people as possible will participate in today’s HIT policy committee meeting which should work to define “certified EHR.”