Most Doctors cite Usability as critical to Electronic Health Record Adoption

The healthcare industry has been awaiting a formal definition of electronic health record (EHR) 'meaningful use' ever since the language of the HITECH Act within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) was made public, according to a Nuance Communications survey. According to the HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association, the company noted that the federal government is expected to publish criteria pertaining to the definition of 'meaningful use' any day now.

In anticipation of definitive criteria, Nuance Communications, Inc, a supplier of speech solutions that help clinicians with the transition to and utilization of EHRs, engaged physicians via a survey to better understand how "meaningful use" should, from their point of view, ultimately be defined.

EHRs have been recognized as a core component to national healthcare reform. Beginning in 2011, physicians and hospitals can receive incentive payments under Medicare and Medicaid, but only if they are found to be "meaningful EHR users." The EHR Meaningful Use Physician Study was meant to explore and measure physicians' opinions related to the value of the EHR from an adoption, feature-set, productivity, patient care and cost benefit value perspective.

Associated Link: The Nuance 'Meaningful Use' study

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