“Meaningful Use” & College Health

Ask a private practice provider about “Meaningful Use” and the answer is likely to include a few colorful adjectives. And we’ve heard college health providers express relief that their participation is not required because their student health center does not bill Medicare or Medicaid.

However, the underlying visions of Meaningful Use and College Health are tightly aligned in support of Wellness. This alignment of Meaningful Use goals and College Health missions reveals an opportunity for College Health to directly effect change and lead the way toward a successful national health information ecosystem. Even if individual providers are not convinced of its merit, here is the new reality: Meaningful Use is setting the national standard for certified EHR technology development and its use.

This paper describes what Meaningful Use is and makes a case that the College Health community should enthusiastically embrace a leadership role in its adoption within the rapidly evolving national healthcare policy landscape.