(Healthcare Process Improvement Network: London) -- The notion of meaningful use of electronic health records (EHR) was clarified on July 13 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), clearing the way for health care providers to tap into the potential $27 billion government funding, provided they can demonstrate their ability to adopt certified EHR technology and achieve specified objectives. Coupled with the 2015 deadline set by the Obama administration to demonstrate this, the policy is going to significantly benefit both the providers of such systems in the near future and of course, the patients themselves.

“If you want to improve the quality of care, you need to be able to accurately measure what’s going on,” HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says. “You want to promote greater coordination among doctors. You need to quickly move health information to wherever it’s needed at the appropriate time.”

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