Is It Time For An MU Reboot?

By Ken Congdon

The Meaningful Use (MU) program has come under fire over the past few months. Everyone from respected Beth Israel Medical Center CIO John Halamka to the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) has gone public saying the government-run health IT incentive program is in desperate need of an overhaul. This sentiment was echoed by the CIOs from Georgia Regents Health System, Inspira Health Network, Memorial Hospital, and Southern Illinois Healthcare (SIH) I interviewed for the cover feature story in this issue.

For the most part, these CIOs support the intentions of the MU program and believe the program has been instrumental at driving EHR adoption in the U.S. However, these CIOs also feel the program has become too complicated and prescriptive over time. These health IT leaders are becoming frustrated with the MU program’s lack of flexibility, stating that the criteria don’t align with organizational objectives. Some have even gone so far as to suggest the criteria are counterintuitive to the ultimate goals of the program.