DOES ‘MEANINGFUL USE ’ OF EMR IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND EFFICIENCY OF HEALTH CARE? AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS OF AMBULATORY EMR USAGE

The US government has initiated incentive programs to encourage the adoption of Electronic Medical Records (EMR). To qualify for the incentive payment, healthcare providers need to demonstrate ‘meaningful use ’ of EMR systems, which requires the use of certified EMRs and the implementation of a set of standard functionalities. In this research-in-progress paper, we examine how the meaningful use of EMRs will affect health care outcomes in outpatient settings. Our preliminary results show that the use of core functionalities required by ‘meaningful use ’ criteria has positive impact on the quality and efficiency of health care. We also find the relationship between the meaningful use and quality of care is moderated by the length of use. In addition, using certified EMR could improve quality and efficiency of health care. Our future research plan is also presented