Discussion: 6051 HITECH Legislation
In order for organizations to receive the incentives offered
through the HITECH legislation, they must be able to demonstrate that they are
using the technology in meaningful ways. The following criteria for meaningful
use must be evident to qualify for EHR incentives (U.S. Department of Health
& Human Services, 2012). The technology must:
Improve quality, safety, and efficiency, and reduce health
disparities
Engage patients and families
Improve care coordination
Improve population and public health
Ensure adequate privacy and security protections for
personal health information
For this Discussion you consider the impact of the
meaningful use criteria of the HITECH legislation on the adoption of health
information technology.
To prepare:
Review the Learning Resources on the HITECH legislation and
its primary goals.
Reflect on the positive and negative impact this legislation
has had on your organization or one with which you are familiar.
Consider the incentives to encourage the use of EHRs. Focus
on the definition of meaningful use and how it is measured.
Reflect on how the incentives and meaningful use impact the
quality of patient care.
Discussion: NURS 6051 HITECH Legislation
Find an article in the Walden Library dealing with one of
the criteria to qualify for meaningful use and how it has been successfully
met.
By Day 3
Post a description of how HITECH legislation has positively
or negatively impacted your organization. Address how its related incentives
influence the adoption of health information technology in health care and
impact the quality of patient care. Provide a summary of the article you
identified and explain how it demonstrates the ability of health information
technology to meet the requirements of meaningful use.
Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.
By Day 6
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different
days using one or more of the following approaches:
Ask a probing question, substantiated with additional background
information, evidence or research.
Share an insight from having read your colleagues’ postings,
synthesizing the information to provide new perspectives.
Offer and support an alternative perspective using readings
from the classroom or from your own research in the Walden Library.
Validate an idea with your own experience and additional
research.
Make a suggestion based on additional evidence drawn from
readings or after synthesizing multiple postings.
Expand on your colleagues’ postings by providing additional
insights or contrasting perspectives based on readings and evidence.
