Written by Cindy Paul, Consultant, Professional Services
With hospital budgets shrinking and any remaining dollars being allocated in many directions, we often hear from customers that they don’t have funding for one initiative or another — and end up putting increased strain on their own staff to do more.
Meaningful Use initiatives are a perfect example — staff members are asked to continue with their current jobs while trying to manage Meaningful Use tracking.
But some hospitals are getting ahead of the game, without putting pressure on their staff to do more. Cherry County Hospital is a perfect example of striking this balance. Because it's a small critical access hospital, their staff faces resource challenges beyond what most hospitals face when trying to keep up with Meaningful Use. In fact, most providers their size would likely have passed on Meaningful Use participation altogether. Yet leaders at Cherry County decided that MU drives more than rebates; it’s the right thing to do for their patients.
How did they overcome the hurdles? They brought in external help to complement their savvy MU team — and couldn’t be happier with the results. Recently, HealthLeaders Magazine produced an article featuring Cherry County’s story (along with other hospitals), to explain how bringing in external help can be one of the best ways to overcome the “minefields of MU.”
According to the article, as Meaningful Use continues to present challenges, the hospitals interviewed provide shining examples of looking past MU rebates, and working toward the common goal of achieving MU with the patient’s best interest in mind.
Given the recent changes to Stage 2, and rumors for Stage 3, we’d love to hear what you think. Do you agree that Meaningful Use is worth the effort? Beyond MU rebates, does the program put patients first?
Want to learn how our Meaningful Use Experts can help your hospital?
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