Determining who should oversee meaningful use.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Initial electronic health record (EHR) meaningful use programs were often led by technical staff.
• Long-term management of these programs may require different expertise for sustained success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the optimal departmental responsibility for managing electronic health record meaningful use programs.
• To identify strategies for improving physician buy-in and program objective acceptance.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of departmental roles in EHR meaningful use program management.
• Assessment of factors influencing physician adoption and program success.

Main Results:

• Technical staff may not be ideal for long-term EHR meaningful use program management.
• Quality departments show potential for fostering greater physician buy-in.
• IT retention of responsibility necessitates a strong analyst team.

Conclusions:

• The quality department is a strong candidate for leading long-term EHR meaningful use initiatives.
• Successful EHR meaningful use program management hinges on physician acceptance and appropriate departmental oversight.