Healthcare Policy Archives

Is “Meaningful Use” Meaningful?

by Barry P Chaiken, MD | Aug 19, 2010 | Archives

Now that the “meaningful use” rule has been finalized by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), many organizations turn their focus to a rapid deployment of electronic medical record (EMR) systems in an effort to achieve transformation of the United States...

Keynote Adddress at HIMSS 2010 Annual Conference

by Barry P Chaiken, MD | Mar 1, 2010 | Healthcare Policy

(Opening address given at HIMSS 2010 Annual Conference, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA, March 1, 2010.)Our great country is on an unsustainable healthcare cost curve that threatens our ability to bounce back from the severe economic challenges we now face....

Raison d’Être

by Barry P Chaiken, MD | Jan 7, 2010 | Archives

What is the purpose of health information technology? Why are we spending all these billions of dollars on this “thing” we struggle to understand, implement, and use? Is it achieving the goals of its purpose? The French elaborated on the concept of “raison d’être,”...

Looking Back…and Looking Ahead…on the Progress of EHR Implementation

by Barry P Chaiken, MD | Dec 29, 2009 | Archives

In the December 2010 issue of the HIMSS Digital Office, leaders in health information technology share their perspective on the progress of EMR adoption in 2009…and their vision for implementation of electronic health records in 2010. Barry P. Chaiken, MD, FHIMSS,...

Making Meaningful Use Meaningful

by Barry P Chaiken, MD | Nov 23, 2009 | Archives

Note: This article was written before the implementation of the Meaningful Use rule that was a gate to obtaining funding for EHRs through the HITECH Act. It provides some contextual background on the evolution in our use of EHRs. A short three years ago, the Office of...