11/26/2014    Michael Brody, DPM

What's the Use of Meaningful Use? (Jeffrey Kass, DPM)

In answer to this question, I could go on for
quite a long time but I will keep it brief and
only touch on a few points.

With Meaningful Use our software can alert us at
to potential medication interactions prior to us
completing prescriptions (Stage 1 and 2).

With Meaningful Use, we have the ability to track
the orders we have placed and easily follow up on
patients who have not gone for ordered tests and
referrals preventing patients from falling through
the cracks and preventing us from being charged
with failure to follow up (Stage 2).

With Meaningful Use, patients who wish to become
engaged in their health care can access their
health information online (Stage 1 and 2)

With Meaningful Use, we must keep our records up
to date with patients current problem list,
medication list, and allergy list to ensure we
have all patient information available to us.
(Stage 1 and 2)

With Meaningful Use, we must send a complete set
of medical information to other doctors when we
send a referral so that the receiving doctor
understands what the status of the patient is
(Optional Stage 1, Required Stage 2).

With Meaningful Use, will receive the same
documentation when a patient is referred to our
office (Optional Stage 1, Required Stage 2)

With Meaingful Use, if a patient is out of town
and there is an emergency, the treating provider
can utilize EMR to EMR communication to obtain
important medical information that may just save a
patients life.

Now just stop one second and think about this...
Meaningful Use is NOT ABOUT US AS DOCTORS, IT IS
ABOUT AND FOR PATIENTS. You may not feel that the
financial incentives of Meaningful Use are worth
it for your office, but think about this.. What
if you or one of your loved ones is the patient
and the tools of Meaningful Use can make a
difference or possibly save their life, just
because their medical information is available to
the emergency responder? That is what is
Meaningful about Meaningful Use. We are not there
yet but that is the direction that the program is
going.

Michael Brody, DPM, Commack, NY

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