The Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology defines “Meaningful Use” of Electronic Health Records to have the following attributes:

• CPOE - A functional CPOE build on a Clinical Data Repository (CDR) and evidence-based decision support  
• Interoperability - Electronic exchange of standardized patient summary data with clinical & administrative stakeholders
• Advance Reporting - The ability to quantify improved patient safety, quality outcomes, and cost reductions
• Patient/Consumer - PHI access for patients and consumers 

Each attribute is then further defined with a series of objectives and measures that need to be starting now through 2011. As hospitals move towards implementing a Meaningful EHR, some facts to consider are the following:

• Every year the rate of information in a healthcare organization grows by 70%, of which 50% is paper
• Hospitals have suffered ‘vendor lock’ because their legacy HIS systems are built on closed architecture
• Future success requires a new ‘empowering’ architecture and easy to use Google-like software so that processes can be transformed across the organization 

At the surface level legacy HIS systems are stable and proven technology. They are relatively good at transaction processing. But as you dive deeper you discover that the software architecture serves as a fair data collection system, does a very poor job of turning data into intelligent workflow and lacks data integrity. Other major problems discovered are: how does one connect disparate systems that exists across the enterprise and how does one position themselves for community based integration? To overcome the challenges of legacy HIS systems and head in the right direction, it is imperative to re-think for a new clinical and evidence-based environment. It’s all about building a foundation and laying a new architecture for ARRA stimulus incentive. A foundation that is built on browser-based web technology, leverages your current HIS system, is open and interoperable that fits together like a hand in glove for total connectivity. TSG’s architecture and intelligent software leverages your current HIS system to offer a full EHR suite for your success:

• CPOE - Attain high physician adoption of CPOE by giving physicians a product that they will embrace. It’s as easy to use as MSN.com and works for the physician rather than the physician working for it. It fully leverages Multum’s Clinical Knowledge-Base – patented methodology for evidence based decision support  
• Interoperability - TSG’s EHR is built on ‘open’ technology platform and is totally interoperable and provides seamless integration across all systems within organizations and across the community.
• Advance Reporting - TSG’s suite of Meaningful Use of EHR comes with advance built-in business intelligence and powerful easy-to-use reporting tool  
• Patient/Consumer - Provides secure, expedient and online healthcare experience to patients to access their PHI

Leverage your existing HIS infrastructure and still consider options that allow you to move forward with technology that will transform your workflow. Ask yourself…how will you achieve ‘Meaningful use of EHR’ for your organization?