The ethical, financial and legal issues associated with the implementation of the meaningful use may act as barriers for the successful implementation process. Accordingly, the lack of sound legal frameworks to guide the implementation of the meaningful use may impede the implementation of systems such as integrated health records for coordinating care. The lack of a formal legal framework implies that health organizations and providers are likely to be held liable for any adverse outcomes associated with the implementation of the meaningful use. Health organizations exist to ensure the protection of rights of the populations they serve (Hand, 2018). As a result, they may not be willing to implement the critical components of the meaningful use due to the potential harm to their populations, hence, the need for formal legal frameworks to guide the process.
The earlier analysis showed that the implementation of the meaningful use legislations also places more authority and responsibility to the healthcare providers. Healthcare providers take the responsibility of collecting, organizing and using electronic data from different sources to ensure effective patient care. The consequence of the increased authority and responsibility is that healthcare providers will be highly prone to errors due to the intensive nature of care process (Mello et al., 2018). It will predispose them to lawsuits due to violation of ethics in practice, hence, acting as a potential barrier for the successful implementation of the meaningful use.
The successful implementation of the entire meaningful legislations is also associated with significant financial costs to healthcare organizations. As noted above, the implementation of the meaningful legislations will result in the reduction in the productivity of healthcare organizations. Healthcare organizations will also incur costs in purchasing, maintaining and improving their systems to ensure their efficiency in patient care. Healthcare providers also have to be trained on the use of the systems in patient care. The cost burden of the meaningful use may act as a potential barrier. In this case, the implementation contradicts with the aim of healthcare institutions, which is to be profitable in service provision for their sustainability (Mello et al., 2018). Therefore, the cost implications of the meaningful use should be considered for the successful implementation of its legislations.
Health care organizations can make most of their electronic health records in light of the meaningful use in a number of ways. Firstly, they can invest in equipping their staffs with the needed competencies in optimizing the benefits of electronic health records. Developing the competencies of the staffs will ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to explore the additional ways in which healthcare technologies can be used to improve the care outcomes of their populations (Lin et al., 2019). The other way is through the incorporation of new technologies into the electronic health records to improve the safety, quality and efficiency of care. An example of a way in which they can achieve the objective is through the incorporation of telehealth into the existing technologies to ensure the provision of patient-centered care to the diverse populations (Radanović & Likić, 2018). They can also incorporate systems such as barcode medication administration into the electronic health records to improve the safety of patient care.
My organization has adopted interventions that support the implementation of the meaningful use. One of them is the use of electronic health records. The organization uses electronic health records for data collection, storage, analysis, and retrieval for use in making decisions on patient care. The organization also provides patients access to their health-related data. Patients can access their health related data to ensure that they are informed about their care needs and lifestyle and behavioral interventions they need to promote their health. The organization also captures vital data such as smoking status of adults aged 18 years and above and transmits it to the state database to inform public health initiatives.
In sum, the meaningful use has considerable benefits to healthcare. However, the implementation of its legislations is associated with a number of dilemmas that should be considered in healthcare. The dilemmas may act as potential barriers to the implementation of the meaningful use in health care. Therefore, healthcare institutions should explore ways of making the most of the meaningful use despite the challenges associated with it.
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