Which of the following is an example of HITECH's concept of 'meaningful use' of health IT?

• A. Having a nurse enter the doctor's orders into the EHR
• B. Printing prescriptions legibly so they can be entered accurately into the information system
• C. A primary care physician electronically exchanging a patient's laboratory data with a medical specialist
• D. A pharmacist using a drug interaction checker

Answer: (C)

Meaningful use of health IT focuses on using certified EHRs to improve care quality, safety, and coordination by sharing information across care settings. The best example here is when a primary care physician electronically shares a patient’s laboratory data with a medical specialist. This illustrates interoperable data exchange that allows different providers to access timely, structured information, supporting coordinated decision-making and better outcomes. The other options reflect useful IT activities, but they don’t demonstrate cross-provider information sharing or coordinated care in the same way: entering orders into the EHR is routine documentation within one workflow; printing prescriptions legibly is about legibility and accuracy but not data exchange; a pharmacist using a drug interaction checker is valuable decision support within a single setting and doesn’t inherently show sharing data with another provider.