The meaningful use clause of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) is a central requirement for federal reimbursement for electronic health record investment by physicians and providers. The medical community is being wooed by the federal government to install and implement EHRs with the promise of federal subsidization if they are able to show meaningful use of their chosen EHR system. Software vendors, physicians and IT specialists were anxiously awaiting the draft criteria from a federal advisory panel.

Tuesday's meeting of the federal Health IT Policy Committee resulted in the announcement of a three-tiered framework for EHRs. While rule-making on meaningful use isn't expected until the end of the year, the panel put forth a combination of goals for 2011, 2013 and 2015 to help guide the way:

1. data sharing and capture criteria from 2011

2. establishment of care processes toward desirable health outcomes in 2013

3. measuring and achieving those outcomes by 2015.

The list of desirable outcomes for 2015 includes reducing the number of heart attacks and strokes each year by a million, reducing by half the racial and ethnic disparity in diabetes rates, and giving patients access to their patient care data, among others.

Dave Roberts, vice president of government relations for the Health Care Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), said the criteria will be at a level whereby most physicians and providers may qualify for reimbursement, rather than it being punitive. Roberts also alluded to how the cash would flow—through the states. His advice appears to be “cozy up” to your state entity because they will control cash flow and the ultimate determination of EHR eligibility for reimbursement. Meanwhile, software vendors are getting their fingers ready to provide comments to both committees that are developing criteria and standards.

Stay tuned for more on this boring but "meaningful" developing story.