Premier Comments on Meaningful Use

HDM Breaking News, June 29, 2009

Compliance targets for meaningful use of electronic health records in 2011 "should be set at appropriate levels in light of the current absence of a functioning electronic health information exchange in most communities, and the time typically necessary to implement an HIE," provider alliance Premier Inc. advises in a comment letter to federal officials.

Further, most providers have little or no EHR capabilities and will require several years of preparation before they can start engaging in electronic clinical messaging, according to the organization.

Premier sent the letter to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology following a work group of the HIT Policy Committee's unveiling of an initial draft definition for meaningful use of EHRs.

The organization also calls for CPOE requirements to be phased in, "with compliance targets for each year that provide hospitals and their medical staffs with sufficient time to accomplish the process changes and training necessary for successful CPOE," according to the letter.

Premier's comment letter is available at premierinc.com/about/advocacy/issues/09/hit/Premier-MeaningfulUseHIT-Comments.pdf.

--Joseph Goedert

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