On July 13, 2010 the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology released the Final Rules for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program. The purpose of this program is to provide incentive for hospitals and practices to adopt EHR technology.
In order to earn the stimulus money offered by the EHR Incentive Program, physicians are required to purchase an ONC-ATCB 2011/2012 certified EHR and prove that they are using it in a “meaningful” way. The requirements for meaningful use are divided into 15 core requirements that are mandatory and 10 menu requirements – of which any selected 5 are mandatory. These requirements are generally referred to as the meaningful use criteria.