Electronic lab reporting has jumped as a result of the Meaningful Use program and is having an impact on public health practice, according to the latest progress report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nationally nearly 3,000 eligible hospitals have registered their intent to send electronic lab reports (ELR) to public health agencies. As of July 2014, 479 hospital labs were using the message format required by the Meaningful Use program to report clinical lab results, compared with fewer than 200 in 2013. Moreover, the number of labs that are testing Meaningful Use-compliant ELR transmissions has more than doubled to more than 1,300.
ELR implementation is on track to reach the CDC's target of 80 percent of lab reporting via in 2016. ELR is a priority goal of the CDC. Report