Health Affairs February 22, 2022
The passage of the HITECH Act and the 2011 launch of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs (now known as the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program and commonly referred to as Meaningful Use) were pivotal events in health information technology (IT). They began the historic, nationwide effort to rapidly convert our health care delivery system from paper to electronic health records (EHRs). Through large public and private financial investments, as well as enormous “sweat equity” from provider organizations and technology developers, more than 90 percent of hospitals and physician practices now use EHR systems.
This dramatic change in what is arguably the most complex and fragmented sector of our economy is a mammoth achievement. However, EHR adoption was but a...