We've heard it time and time again: meaningful use shouldn't simply be about meeting the strict letter of the law; rather it should be about the broad intent of the law. That's the message coming through on day one at HIMSS11.

It is how C. Martin Harris, M.D., chief information officer at the Cleveland Clinic, and HIMSS board chair, kicked things off this morning at the keynote session. He noted that health IT should be a tool to enable clinicians to improve quality and safety. It shouldn't just be about putting certain modules in place and checking off a box on the regulatory checklist.

To a degree, it appears that HIMSS members get the message. The society released its annual leadership survey this morning (we'll provide a link once it is on the HIMSS website) which showed that meeting meaningful use and improving patient care were the top two business objectives for respondents (326 people representing 700 hospitals filled out the survey). As Harris said during a press briefing, you can't really separate meaningful use requirements and improving patient care, though. They are woven together.

But there still seems to be a pretty wide gulf between what vendors are pitching and clinicians want. I sat in on an event Harris had with a group of 25 or so physician leaders and they peppered him with questions about why the technology doesn't seem to match with their clinical experience. One physician noted that before treatments or procedures are embraced by docs, they get studied and studied some more and then published in peer review journals. The same is not happening with health IT. Harris acknowledged that there is a void when it comes to credible data on the true impact of health IT. He said there is a need to better understand how it impacts care and workflow. He also urged the physicians to work more closely with the IT departments—and subsequently vendors—to make sure that products meet their needs.