Personal Health Records: Meaningful Use, But for Whom?

Providers and hospitals have received more than $5 billion from the federal government for meaningfully using electronic health records as of April 2012. Meaningful Use stage 1 makes adoption of the personal health record optional. The proposed Meaningful Use stage 2 regulations make personal health record use mandatory. There is peer-reviewed literature to support a personal health record adoption rate of 10%, which is optional in stage 1 and required in stage 2. The literature also supports the use of secure messaging required in stage 2. However, there is little evidence to support other stage 2 personal health record requirements and dependencies. Further study is urgently needed to ensure that Meaningful Use stage 2 is meaningful for both patients and providers.