Healthcare - Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula

Federal Support for
‘Meaningful use’ technology
Many in healthcare see electronic information sharing as the key
to better care for less money. The federal government does, too,
and has taken steps to encourage it by offering financial incentives.
under the Health Information Technology for Economic and
Clinical Health Act (HITECH), part of the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Medicare and Medicaid incentive
payments will be available to hospitals and clinicians that adopt
certified electronic health record technology and successfully
demonstrate its “meaningful use” in ways that improve quality,
safety, and effectiveness of patient-centered care.
To qualify for incentives, the meaningful uses have to meet specific
measurable standards and the systems have to meet a range of
requirements. For example, systems must be capable of electronically
sharing medication and allergy lists from doctor to hospital, hospital
to doctor, and doctor to doctor.
The effort aligns with the path Community Hospital has been
developing over the last 20 years, putting in place systems to
integrate technology in ways that increase efficiency and improve
patient care.
“Nationwide, most hospitals don’t have the electronic capabilities
we do,” says Dr. Anthony Chavis, the hospital’s vice president of
medical affairs. “We believe we’ll be one of 1 percent or 2 percent
of u.S. hospitals that will achieve ‘meaningful use’ in 2011.”
DR. ANTHONY CHAVIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF
MEDICAL AFFAIRS AT COMMuNITY HOSPITAL.
“Nationwide, most hospitals
don’t have the electronic
capabilities we do. We
believe we’ll be one of
1 or 2 percent of hospitals
that will achieve ‘meaningful
use’ in 2011.
" 19