Meaningful Use of HIT Essential for Achieving Quality-Driven Healthcare Reform, Paul Tang, MD Tells Executives at MedeAnalytics Conference

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Nov. 12, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Electronic health records (EHRs) will play a key role in helping achieve improved patient health outcomes, but only if they are universally adopted and deliver the right data to the right people at the right time, Paul Tang, MD told a gathering of healthcare executives on the final day of the MedeAnalytics Clinical Leadership Summit in San Francisco. "When we do this, magic happens," he said. Tang is vice president and chief medical information officer, Palo Alto Medical Foundation. He is also vice chair of the HIT Policy Committee.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100621/SF23660LOGO)

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100621/SF23660LOGO)

Noting that the private sector has not been able to develop and adopt methods for significantly improving health outcomes in the U.S., Tang called recent federal legislation "transformative" by providing the goals, timetables, and financial incentives necessary to achieve desired change. "All the necessary forces are aligned," he said.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 share many of the same requirements for achieving and documenting cost and quality of care criteria, said Tang, and both will depend on the "meaningful use" of certified EHRs targeted by ARRA for widespread use by 2014. Meaningful use requirements address key health goals, including improved quality, safety and efficiency; engaging patients and their families; improving care coordination; improving population and public health; and ensuring privacy and security protections.

Tang was a keynote speaker at the MedeAnalytics Clinical Leadership Summit held Nov. 11-12 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

About MedeAnalytics

Founded in 1994, MedeAnalytics enables healthcare organizations to improve clinical, financial and operational performance through on-demand analytics and client services. For hospitals and health systems, MedeAnalytics provides solutions to address revenue cycle, patient access, clinical operations, staff productivity, regulatory compliance, finance and accounting, and enterprise performance management. For healthcare payers, the company provides solutions for provider network management, medical management and operations. MedeAnalytics delivers business intelligence to over 800 healthcare organizations using a hosted, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, which reduces up-front costs and enables rapid implementation and exceptional time-to-value. For more information, visit www.medeanalytics.com.

SOURCE MedeAnalytics

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED