Electronic Medical Records Need More To Support "Meaningful Use"

Our current paper-based health information process wastes hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Transforming this into a streamlined 21st century electronic system will require moving through stages of maturity from paper charts to the cross-provider electronic health record (EHR). Our interviews with US healthcare providers found that a narrow focus on electronic medical records and paper replacement technologies will fall short. The federal stimulus package's mandate for meaningful use will require a process-centric view and a portfolio of technologies including enterprise content management (ECM), business process management (BPM), and forms automation. A three-phase maturity model shows how these foundation technologies help migrate to the 21st century healthcare system.