AARP applauds 'meaningful use' guideline

AARP, the advocacy group for 50+ Americans, is cheering the arrival of new Medicare rules designed to ensure healthcare providers don't just purchase new health technologies, but actually use them to benefit patients. 

"Simply buying new technology is not the solution," AARP Executive Vice President John Rother said in a statement. "Health IT must be used in ways that improve care and efficiency."

 “By giving doctors and hospitals financial incentives to use technology to improve quality and by giving patients easy access to their personal health information, the final ‘meaningful use’ regulations will significantly advance the necessary transformation to a system in which everyone has a certified electronic medical record."

The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee is holding a hearing next Tuesday to examine the new guidelines.