title: Meeting meaningful use criteria and managing patient populations: a national survey of practicing physicians.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Meaningful use, as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will require the aggregation of patient data to enable population assessment. Little is known about the proportion of physicians who are able to meet meaningful use criteria or their use of electronic health records (EHRs) to manage patient populations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate physicians' reports of EHR adoption and ease of use and their ability to use EHRs for patient panel management.
  
  
  METHODS
  National mailed survey of practicing physicians (response rate of 60%).
  
  
  METHODS
  Late 2011 and early 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  1820 primary care physicians and specialists in office-based practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proportion of physicians who have a basic EHR and meet meaningful use criteria and ease of use of computerized systems designed for patient population management tasks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 43.5% of physicians reported having a basic EHR, and 9.8% met meaningful use criteria. Computerized systems for managing patient populations were not widespread; fewer than one half of respondents reported the presence of computerized systems for any of the patient population management tasks included in the survey. Physicians with such functionalities reported that these systems varied in ease of use. Physicians with an EHR that met meaningful use criteria were significantly more likely than those not meeting the standard to rate panel management tasks as easy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ease-of-use measures are subjective.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Few physicians could meet meaningful use criteria in early 2012 and using computerized systems for the panel management tasks was difficult. Results support the growing evidence that using the basic data input capabilities of an EHR does not translate into the greater opportunity that these technologies promise.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Commonwealth Fund and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
authors.affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. cdesroches@mathematica-mpr.com
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: DesRoches
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Audet
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Painter
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Donelan
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D062527:Meaningful Use / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008511:Medicine; D010346:Patient Care Management / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States