Pen And Paper No More

Good technology currently being used in physicians' offices may be outdated in the coming months, and not just because of the speed at which IT develops.

For health care providers seeking to achieve meaningful use of electronic health records, systems and equipment that currently are beneficial will have to be replaced if they can't meet certification standards, according to Dr. David Blumenthal, national coordinator for health IT.

In a hearing Tuesday, members of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee questioned whether health care providers will run out and purchase new technology knowing that the certification program won't be up and running until 2012. Providers who don't demonstrate meaningful use by 2015 could face penalties.

According to Blumenthal, The Office of the National Coordinator has in place a temporary certification program, but it doesn't include all the criteria that providers will have to meet in the long run.The certification standards are entirely new because they must reflect the requirements of meaningful use, he said, adding, "We don't want to create the impression for providers that something they're using now will be capable of meaningful use."

But lawmakers were optimistic about the potential of new technology to modernize an antiquated health care system.

"We live in the information age, yet our healthcare system has been mired in the pen-and-paper past," said Anna Eshoo, D-Calif.