What is Meaningful Use?

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) will provide incentive payments through Medicare and Medicaid to clinicians and hospitals that use Electronic Health Record (EHR) software like the Origin EMRge™ system to achieve specified improvements in care delivery. Through HITECH, the federal government is offering incentive payments up to $44,000 (through Medicare) and $63,750 (through Medicaid) per provider.

In order to qualify, providers must demonstrate “meaningful use” of a certified EHR.

The three main components of meaningful use in an EHR implementation:

• The use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, such as e-prescribing
• The use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve the quality of healthcare
• The use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality data and other measures

Simply put, “meaningful use” means providers need to demonstrate that they are using certified EHR technology in ways that can be measured in quality and in quantity.

Download Meaningful Use Brochure (PDF)