To prepare:

• Consider the ways HITECH and Meaningful Use mandates have impacted a health care setting with which you are familiar.
• Conduct research in the Walden Library and through credible nursing organizations to assess how the nursing informatics community is addressing these mandates.
• Create a list that documents the pros and cons that mandates such as these have on health care settings. Reflect upon your list, and determine whether you believe these mandates are beneficial or harmful to health care organizations and nursing practice.

Post a brief scholarly commentary that describes your stance on issues related to HITECH and meaningful use. Include in your commentary your personal beliefs on the issue, your experiences in a health care organization, and/or the pros and cons surrounding these initiatives. Select at least one of the following to underscore your stance:

• Mandating change. Do the HITECH Act and Meaningful Use mandates help to drive and equalize change across all health care settings, or do they lead to rapid and sloppy implementations?
• The benefits or ramifications that stem from the use of incentives and disincentives.
• The influence of across-the-board mandates on patient safety, ethics, and quality of care.
• The allocation of funds specifically earmarked for HITECH and Meaningful Use. Is it worth it or wasted?