Link: Relaxing Meaningful Use? Not Really

Chilmark Research recently posted commentary about comments from the HIT Policy Committee (HITSP) recommendations to relax Meaningful Use (MU) requirements. Since the Interim Final Rules were published in January, there has been much discussion about whether or not the criteria is attainable for providers and facilities. From my perspective, barriers to change include all the concepts embodied by “wicked problems.”

According to the Heath’s in their new book “Switch,” in order to affect change in process, behavior and/or thinking, we have to change the environment. In Healthcare, one way to change the environment might be to help patients obtain access to quality health information that enables better patient-provider communications and decision making.

As patients become more “health” literate, they become better able to
discuss care and treatment options with their providers. Perhaps the
ability to capture specific health related information via the Internet
can provide opportunities for “meaningful” conversation between patient and provider?

Thanks to e-Patient Dave, for sharing his story about how he used the internet to obtain data about his health condition and how he used that information to engage in “meaningful discussion” with his health care provider. He is a member of the Society for Participatory Medicine and blogs at e-patients.net Watch this interesting video about technology use that enables improved patient-provider communications.

The Quantified Patient from e-Patient Dave deBronkart

e-Patient Dave’s presentation at the Quantified Self show on December 7, 2009, at Wired magazine headquarters. Blog post here

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