The federal government unveiled its criteria for the meaningful use of electronic health records (EHRs) on Dec. 30. The criteria, spelled out in a document known as the Meaningful Use Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, must be met in order for a hospital or eligible provider (EP) to qualify for reimbursement of the cost of EHR software under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

Check out this e-guide for a chart that outlines the proposed criteria for Stage 1 of demonstrating meaningful use of EHR. Eligible hospitals and doctors who want to qualify for payment incentives through the health IT provisions of the ARRA must meet these criteria.