HIMSS Discussion Drafts on Meaningful Use Open until April 17

In case you haven’t already done so, please take a moment to review the HIMSS Discussion Drafts on Meaningful Use site. Here’s the purpose of the site; I think they’re trying to be transparent and we need to help them out:

Welcome to the HIMSS discussion forum on the definitions of meaningful use of certified EHR technology. As identified in the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, hospitals and physicians have the opportunity to earn Medicare incentive payments for a specific time period – if they meet the definition. Note that the definition of meaningful use for a hospital is distinct from that used to identify a meaningful physician user.

To that end, HIMSS has developed two discussion draft documents, and we encourage our members’ input. You are free to inform both documents by using this public discussion forum, or submitting a private comment to HIMSS. The discussion period is April 1 – April 17, 2009.

In the spirit of transparency and open communication, we encourage participants to identify themselves and look forward to your input. If you’d like to learn more about ARRA and its implications for hospitals, clinicians, and consumers, visit the HIMSS ARRA landing page for a comprehensive overview, FAQs, and analysis.