6. There are now enough success stories in U.S. hospitals and health systems to show that what is called for in MU can be done with current EHR technology. Hospitals know that a switch to an electronic system has been coming for a long time, said Lewis. The government incentives just help to speed things up a little.

7. Competition among provider organizations is forcing adoption; there is awareness among patients of the technology and they are demanding it. Putting the financials aside for a moment, Lewis has heard from his own clients that, "we are doing this because we have to, because our competitors are doing it and patients will start to ask for this."

8. Hospitals will need to share information with patients and with unaffiliated providers who are participating in the care of patients. In addition, there are mandates to report on required measures of performance as a byproduct of EHR use. "I heard a senor exec of a large organization say, 'Yeah, yeah the money is important to us, and receiving incentives and not incurring penalties, but we are doing what we have to do. It is the right thing for our organization and the community we serve.'"

9. Physicians, nurses and other providers are less reluctant users of the EHR. Once past the learning curve and duplicative processes of paper and electronic record, productivity improvements may occur, which could help with shortages of primary care physicians and nurses. "As time passes, you do run across less people with zero keyboard skills," Lewis said. However, he recommends setting up special programs for typing skills for those that might need it.

10. Improved patient safety, quality of care, improved clinical outcomes, and reductions in LOS and readmissions. With the improvements in quality of care that the EHR has helped produce and the technology's potential for providing care at a lower cost, Lewis asked, how can anyone argue that this is a bad thing?

Lewis' list can be found at CSC's Meaningful Use Community – an open and interactive online community for providers seeking to achieve meaningful use of EHRs. There are currently more than 1,300 members, with more than 200 hospitals represented.