Stage 1 was 'just about, for us, checking a lot of boxes.' But Stage 2 may be a different story.
Weill Cornell's Keith Hentel, MD, will be the first to tell you: His radiology department intentionally failed to meet Stage 1 meaningful use.
Bottom line? They could have done it, says Hentel, executive vice chairman in the Department of Radiology at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. But it would have meant pouring their already limited resources into something that "doesn't really move our practice anywhere in the right direction," he said.
"It's just about, for us, checking a lot of boxes," said Hentel. "There also were no impending penalties, as they could file for a hardship exemption and avoid financial penalties, at least until 2015.
[See also: The man against meaningful use.]
Hentel will be sharing his department's story at RSNA 2014 in Chicago on December 2, in a presentation titled, "Health IT Incentive Programs: Experience from Radiology Practices in Hospitals and Health Systems." Calling the session his "embarrassing talk," Hentel will discuss why his department did not move forward with Stage 1, and the barriers that led to that decision.
For one, as he explained in an interview with Healthcare IT News, Stage 1 meaningful use was not developed with radiologists in mind. "Part of the challenge is that it's trying to fit a square peg in a round hole," he said.
What's more, his radiology department works with their own radiology IT systems, not Weill Cornell's enterprise electronic health record -- which is where most of the meaningful use requirements come from, making things even more difficult for them.
[See also: Stage 2 meaningful use off to slow start.]
Sure, at the end of the day, his department could have done it, but with the effort, time and financial resources needed, the payoff didn't make the process worthwhile, he said.
"It became an exercise in, 'What is more cost effective? Is it more cost effective for us to spend the resources that it would take to become meaningful users. … or do we continue our efforts on some of our other initiatives which generate revenue?'" he said.
Hentel and his department chose to allocate their resources to other things.
That was their path for Stage 1, at least. Stage 2, he said, will most likely be a different story.
"I think (meaningful use) is becoming more pertinent to radiologists," said Hentel. "I think we do have to participate in these programs.
"Hopefully, as we go along, they'll become more meaningful," he said.
