The 5 Benefits of Meaningful Use

Physical therapy providers who demonstrate meaningful use can take advantage of more than just incentive payments. But what is meaningful use, exactly? According to the CDC, meaningful use “was defined by the use of certified EHR technology in a meaningful manner (for example electronic prescribing); ensuring that the certified EHR technology connects in a manner that provides for the electronic exchange of health information to improve the quality of care.”

Participating providers encourage a seamless exchange of health information, while also enabling the delivery of higher quality patient care. This leads to better outcomes at a lower cost.

Let’s take a look at five benefits of Meaningful Use.

Five Benefits of Meaningful Use

1. Accurate and Complete Information — Clinicians have access to the information they need when they need it. This allows for more accurate diagnoses and a better course of care.
2. Improved Patient Care — Meaningful use allows information to be shared instantly across healthcare communities, including physician offices, hospitals, and health systems. This increases efficiency and benefits the patient’s care coordination.
3. Patient Engagement — Being able to receive medical information securely over the internet puts patients in an active role in the health care of themselves and their families. They can stay on top of their conditions and take steps to perform preventative care.
4. Improved Patient Safety — Clinicians with instant electronic access to medical records have crucial information about medications, allergies, conditions, and treatment history at their fingertips. This greatly reduces the risk of medical errors.
5. Healthier Patient Populations and Communities — Important patient data about diseases and outcomes is available to other health professionals locally, regionally, and nationally, contributing to a better understanding of care and treatments.

Why Meaningful Use is Important

Meaningful use has many benefits, but it also serves a few valuable goals. One being smooth and accurate data-sharing among healthcare professionals. As we mentioned above, this then leads to higher quality of care for the patient. Of all the benefits of Meaningful Use, perhaps the most important is that it fosters a safer and more efficient way of practicing medicine. AgileEMR is the software solution for physical therapy practices seeking the benefits of Meaningful Use. Schedule a demo to see the experience, technology, and processes to help your team achieve Meaningful Use.