We applaud the efforts taken by CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to further streamline the Meaningful Use program and agree with their intent. According to the press release, they have attempted to “shift the paradigm so health IT becomes a tool for care improvement, not an end in itself.” We firmly believe in this idea, and are ultimately encouraged by the 2015 final rule.
Dr. Notte is a family physician and clinical informaticist for Abington (Pa.) Memorial Hospital. He is a partner in EHR Practice Consultants, a firm that aids physicians in adopting electronic health records. Dr. Skolnik is associate director of the family medicine residency program at Abington Memorial Hospital and professor of family and community medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia.