Meaningful Use and Corrections: Unknown Opportunities

"Meaningful use is the linchpin of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs, established under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act to provide incentive payments to eligible providers that adopt and demonstrate “meaningful use” of certified EHR [electronic health record] technology. Providers demonstrate meaningful use by “attesting” to certain criteria for different stages of meaningful use ... This article provides an overview of the meaningful use landscape, emphasizing the applicability of meaningful use to health care provided in jails, as well as exploring the benefits and difficulties of participating in this program for jail health care providers. It also describes the steps that jail health care systems must pursue in order to participate in meaningful use" (p. 1). Sections of this paper cover: issue introduction; what meaningful use is; benefits of meaningful use for correctional health services; obstacles to jail participation in meaningful use; correctional institutions participating in meaningful use; steps toward eligibility; impact of meaningful use on correctional health systems; and concluding observations.