In a recent iHealthBeat Perspective, Protima Advani of the Advisory Board Company suggested that healthcare providers wait until fiscal year 2012 to demonstrate meaningful use of electronic health records. But waiting until 2012 might not be the right solution for every healthcare provider. In some cases, 2011 might be a better goal date. Achieving meaningful use requires, for most organizations, a profound number of cultural and workflow changes. Rushing to meet meaningful use might result in a lack of firm cultural foundations and poor adoption of new workflows. However, if an organization already has a solid plan for EHR adoption and is close to meeting meaningful use requirements, moving forward in 2011 might help prevent a loss of momentum and provide public relations benefits.
