Rhode Island Quality Institute Recommends Acceleration In Requirements For Meaningful Use Of EHRs, Stage 3

Rhode Island Quality Institute has provided comments regarding Stage 3 Meaningful Use of EHRs to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. The Institute advocated for accelerated standards that advance the benefits of health technology, as well as enable healthcare transformation and payment reform.

Jonathan Leviss, MD, the Institute’s Chief Medical Officer stated, “RIQI believes that creating value from EHRs requires a critical mass of function, market requirement and adoption.  Patients and consumers need this benefit now. The more rapidly the ONC and CMS can accelerate these elements, the sooner the US will benefit from health information technology—and the greater that benefit will be.”

Meaningful Use Stage 1 and Stage 2 requirements were respectful of the time and effort needed to implement EHRs, including planning time and skill development by organizations and the workforce involved.  “With Stage 3,” said Leviss, “the time is right for a process that will more directly yield the promised benefits of health IT.” 

“RIQI appreciates the leadership of the ONC and the HITPC in developing the Meaningful Use Stage 3 requirements,” Leviss concluded. “With these standards in place, providers and hospitals have direct financial incentives to continue to adopt EHRs, ultimately leading to improved health care delivery, lower health care costs and healthier people.”

About RIQI
Rhode Island Quality Institute is a center of collaborative innovation that advances health and healthcare transformation. The Institute’s mission is to improve the quality, safety and value of healthcare in Rhode Island.

The Institute applies transformative measures to help evolve the healthcare system, and identifies key initiatives by aligning leading-edge healthcare quality improvement strategies with needs and opportunities in the community. RIQI maintain high-level partnerships with healthcare leaders, government and industry organizations and community-leading groups to build consensus around the strategic focus. In partnership with providers, RIQI pioneers solutions with health information technology (HIT), quality improvement science and quality measurement/reporting.

RIQI is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 2001 and overseen by a volunteer Board of Directors. Board members are senior health industry leaders from our community, including CEOs of hospitals, health insurers and health-related businesses, along with leaders of consumer groups, academia and government agencies.For more information, visit www.riqi.org