Essay Example on America: Tech-Savvy Health Care for All?

Is America making tremendous technological progress in its health care? America is the mirror of the rest of the world regarding the integration of technology into health care providers that will not only cater to the financially stable but also the low-income earners. In the context of health, IT America has utilized meaningful use of a term which refers to the minimum government standards for Electronic Health Records (EHR) (CMS.gov). Meaningful use summarizes how patient data in health care institutions need to be shared among health care providers, between patients and health care providers, between providers and insurance companies (CMS.gov). The term meaningful use has been replaced with promoting interoperability which is a program that gives payments to qualified professionals and hospitals which have met the federal minimum standards for certified electronic health records technology (CEHRT) (CMS.gov). Meaningful use was established as a three-stage program, and in 2019, it is at stage 3, which entails the use of CEHRT in moving towards the improvement of health outcomes.

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Firstly, it is essential to note that meaningful use in 2019 has made significant progress. It has set requirements to be fulfilled by eligible providers who participate in much use in 2019, and they include; EHR reporting period which is 90 days, all participants must use the 2015 edition CEHRT (CMS.gov). Similarly, the Electronic Clinical Quality Measures (eCQM) must be reported within one year. Also, the eligible professionals must report on any six eCQMs and one result or high profile measure related to their area of jurisdiction (CMS.gov). Besides, the 2019 meaningful use has aligned the merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS) with electronic clinical quality measures.

Additionally, meaningful use has improved health outcomes in 2019 by ensuring that patient health care information is protected through the electronic protected health information program (ePHI). It is maintained by CEHRT through the putting up of technical, administrative safeguards (CMS.gov). The protection helps in enhancing the privacy of the patients as the data will only be accessed by the authorized medical professionals. Also, prescriptions can now be transmitted electronically in a case that was not common in the past, especially in public health care organizations(CMS.gov). It has helped in the reduction of queues that were previously experienced in the manual systems.

Similarly, the order entry for patients has also been computerized, for instance, in imaging, laboratory, diagnosis, and review periods (American Academy of Pediatrics). Meaningful use has also provided a platform through which patients can access timely information about their health. Meaningful use has also used CEHRT to engage patients about their health progress. It implies that it has made progress because health decisions are not made without the awareness of the patient or their representatives (American Academy of Pediatrics). Meaningful use serves both the Medicare and Medicaid health care services.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to note that meaningful use of 2019 has resulted in the achievement of several objectives in the health care sector in America. Meaningful use explores the ways which patient information needs to share among health care providers, between patients and health care providers, between providers and insurance companies for effective delivery of health care. It engages eligible professionals as well as the health care institutions that have met the minimum standards.

Works Cited

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Meaningful use overview retrieved from https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Informatics/Pages/Meaningful-Use-Overview.aspx

CMS.gov. 2019 program requirements Medicare recovered from https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and Guidance/Legislation/EHRIncentivePrograms/2019ProgramRequirementsMedicare.html