• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Behavioral Health
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Patient Engagement
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
    • Social Determinants of Health
  • Digital Health
    • AI
    • Blockchain
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • M&A
  • Value-based Care
    • Accountable Care (ACOs)
    • Medicare Advantage
  • Life Sciences
  • Research

Is Meaningful Use a Roadblock to Achieving Interoperability?

by HITC Staff 10/01/2015 Leave a Comment

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

EHR Inteoperability

This week, a study published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), known as the “Congressional Watchdog,” revealed the Meaningful Use program is a roadblock to achieving EHR interoperability. Conducted at the request of congressional leaders, the GAO interviewed 18 groups outside of the federal government that specialize in EHRs and are working to achieve EHR interoperability.

GAO asked the representatives of these groups to share their perspectives of the meaningful use” program. Key findings from the GAO’s expert interviews: 

·    Representatives from 10 of the initiatives said that the meaningful use program’s requirements “divert resources and attention from other efforts to enable interoperability.”

·     Representatives from 10 of the initiatives say that the criteria used to certify electronic health records systems under the meaningful use program are “not sufficient for achieving interoperability.” Three of these representatives suggested “amending the criteria to focus on testing systems’ ability to interoperate.”

·    Representatives of 5 of the initiatives suggest “pausing or stopping” the meaningful use program. 

Since 2009, the federal government has spent more than $30B on the Meaningful Use program encouraging the nearly 500k physicians and more than 5k hospitals who serve Medicare and Medicaid recipients. This money was included in the HITECH Act, which was part of the 2009 stimulus package. Currently, only about 12 percent of eligible physicians and 40 percent of eligible hospitals have been able to met Meaningful Use stage 2 requirements. 

One of the key components of Meaningful Use is to improve the electronic exchange of a patient’s health information between physicians’ offices and urgent care centers and hospitals and pharmacies—what’s known as “interoperability.”

The full report can be found HERE.

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Print

Tap Native

Get in-depth healthcare technology analysis and commentary delivered straight to your email weekly

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to HIT Consultant

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly.

Submit a Tip or Pitch

Featured Insights

 Selecting the Right EMR: A Practical Guide to Streamlining Your Practice and Enhancing Patient Care

Selecting the Right EMR: A Practical Guide to Streamlining Your Practice and Enhancing Patient Care

Featured Interview

Virta Health CEO: GLP-1s Didn’t Kill Weight Watchers, Its Broken Model Did

Most-Read

Beyond the Hype: Building AI Systems in Healthcare Where Hallucinations Are Not an Option

Beyond the Hype: Building AI Systems in Healthcare Where Hallucinations Are Not an Option

Health IT Sector Navigates Policy Turbulence with Resilient M&A

Health IT’s New Chapter: IPOs Return, Resilient M&A, Valuations Rise in 1H 2025

PwC Report: US Medical Cost Trend to Remain Elevated at 8.5% in 2026

PwC Report: US Medical Cost Trend to Remain Elevated at 8.5% in 2026

Philips Launches ECG AI Marketplace, Partnering with Anumana to Enhance Cardiac Care with AI-Powered Diagnostics

Philips Launches ECG AI Marketplace, Partnering with Anumana to Enhance Cardiac Care with AI-Powered Diagnostics

WeightWatchers Emerges from Bankruptcy, Launches New Menopause Program

WeightWatchers Emerges from Bankruptcy, Launches New Menopause Program

CMS Finalizes New Interoperability and Prior Authorization Rule

CMS Proposes 2026 Physician Fee Schedule Rule: Boosting Primary Care, Cutting Waste, and Modernizing Payments

Beyond SaaS: How Agent as a Service is Transforming Healthcare Automation

Beyond SaaS: How Agent as a Service is Transforming Healthcare Automation

New Strategies Needed: No Surprises Act and the Challenges for Payors with Provider Data Inaccuracies

Samsung Acquires Xealth to Accelerate Connected Care Vision

Samsung Acquires Xealth to Accelerate Connected Care Vision

AI Dominates Digital Health Investment in First Half of 2025

Rock Health Report: AI Dominates Digital Health Investment in First Half of 2025

Secondary Sidebar

Footer

Company

  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Reprints and Permissions
  • Submit An Op-Ed
  • Contact
  • Subscribe

Editorial Coverage

  • Opinion
  • Health IT
    • Care Coordination
    • EMR/EHR
    • Interoperability
    • Population Health Management
    • Revenue Cycle Management
  • Digital Health
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Blockchain Tech
    • Precision Medicine
    • Telehealth
    • Wearables
  • Startups
  • Value-Based Care
    • Accountable Care
    • Medicare Advantage

Connect

Subscribe to HIT Consultant Media

Latest insightful articles delivered straight to your inbox weekly

Copyright © 2025. HIT Consultant Media. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy |