HHS now has a subsection of its website dedicated to "meaningful use (MU)." We just presented at the WHIT World Healthcare Congress and will be posting our talk and slides shortly. Part of what we covered is our definition of MU. This is a term of art that has gone through two rounds of public comment with CMS/ONC expected to issue a "blessed version" in first quarter 2010.
The controversy surrounding MU will continue, but if the vendors displaying their wares at the WHIT Conference are a harbinger of things to come, and we believe they are, then innovation is increasing at alarming rate, and those providers that choose to remain on the sidelines waiting for the US Government to clarify every last term in the HITECH Act are going to get their "clocks cleaned" by more nimble competitors.
Some providers (perhaps many) are going to resist, but it doesn't matter anymore, the relentless push of the marketplace will force change. Health care, as a whole, simply cannot remain the uber laggard. Why? Because a large enough percentage of providers will find ways to innovate, stimulus package or no stimulus package, and these providers will change the rules of the game. IBM thought it would never happen to them. Ditto MS. Does any one really believe that time will stand still for the health care industry? NO industry gets a free pass on this train. None.
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