Officials from a New York-based company that aims to identify "Top Doctors" for consumers said it is developing standards to recognize physicians who have incorporated meaningful use of health IT in their practices.

Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. said it will begin incorporating this new standard in their listings of Top Doctors, starting in 2011.

The company's Top Doctors guides seek to single out the nation's best doctors and hospitals. Its lists are based on peer nominations and professional assessments by its physician-led research team.

Castle Connolly officials said it will be coordinating its efforts in conjunction with the recently released final rules announced by U. S. Department of Health and Human Services for meaningful use of EHRs by both healthcare providers and hospitals.

"We are delighted to lend our energies to the Office of the National Coordinator-Health Information Technology, Department of Health and Human Services to the extent that we can," said John J. Connolly, president and CEO. "Physicians are critical to these efforts to create new means of improving the quality, efficiency and patient-centeredness of care, and those who are at the forefront of implementing these new technologies deserve to be recognized for their commitment to clinical excellence.

He added that "Castle Connolly Top Doctors are in a pivotal position to serve as both role models for their colleagues and key opinion leaders for their hospitals, thereby facilitating the broad-based adoption of these technologies."