Medicaid Providers Face Common Barriers to Meaningful Use

A new AHRQ report examines challenges Medicaid providers face in achieving Meaningful Use (MU) of health information technologies. The report finds barriers to adoption and MU of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) were not associated with serving a predominantly Medicaid-insured population. However, providers such as dentists, pediatricians, and nurse midwives who were only eligible under the Medicaid program reported some difficulty finding a certified EHR appropriate for their specialty, and that some required measures, such as blood pressure, were irrelevant due to the age of the patient groups they serve. The reported barriers to adoption and achievement of MU were consistent with those cited in past studies, including limited awareness of the Medicaid EHR Incentive program, difficulty in selecting and functionality of EHRs and limited ability to implement core measures of Stage 1 MU. The report recommended greater collaboration between all stakeholders to provide more targeted technical assistance tools and development of a body of knowledge to address the socio-cultural, technical, and training needs of Medicaid providers. Select to access the full report.