The following is a release from EvergreenHealth:

EvergreenHealth is pleased to announce its success in exceeding national standards for the way its providers use electronic health record (EHR) technology to improve quality, safety, efficiency, and reduce health disparities. The Kirkland-based health care system recently reached stage two in a three-stage program, known as Meaningful Use (MU), designed by the federal government to help health care providers achieve better clinical outcomes through effective use of EHR technology.

Among the EvergreenHealth providers who participate in Meaningful Use, more than 98 percent met the certified criteria for reaching stage-two. Comparatively, according to an April survey published in the American Journal of Managed Care, 62 percent of office-based physicians use an EHR system, and just under half are certified to meet Meaningful Use criteria.

“While participation in these programs is critical to keeping pace with our industry’s evolution, it is equally a reflection of our patient-centered commitment to providing the safest, highest-quality care as a trusted health care provider,” said EvergreenHealth CEO Bob Malte. “Thanks to the forward-thinking efforts of IT and clinical care leaders, we are setting the groundwork for palpable growth in the way we use EHR technology to serve patients and implement systems that achieve the best results.”

Today, EHR systems play a key role in how physicians evaluate, treat and engage with their patients. The MU program is designed to ensure those systems create better clinical outcomes and increased transparency to empower patients to take charge of their health, while also ensuring better visibility into efficiency levels for providers.

EvergreenHealth’s provider Meaningful Use completion rate and success in this program allows the health system to obtain additional incentives from the federal Medicare program and avoid costly penalties.

In 2016, EvergreenHealth gained nearly $1.4 million in health care IT incentives by meeting stage-two MU standards. Since the MU program launched in 2011, incentives have added an additional $10.5 million to the health care system’s IT budget.

The MU program incents the use of EHR technology to improve quality, safety and efficiency, and reduce health disparities. It also encourages providers to use EHR technology to engage patients and their families, facilitate better security of patient information and improve overall care coordination and the community health.

To avoid penalties, health care systems must meet objectives that evolve in three stages over five years. The third and final stage, rolling out in 2016, will focus on advanced use of certified EHR technology to support health information exchange and interoperability, advanced quality measurement and maximizing clinical effectiveness and efficiencies.

For more information, resources and guidelines on the MU program, visit the dedicated section on the HealthIT.gov website.

To learn more about EvergreenHealth, visit www.evergreenhealth.com.