This post was written by Jacqueline Penrod. The Information Exchange (IE) Workgroup, in a presentation delivered at the December 15, 2009 meeting of the HIT Policy Committee, reported electronic lab ordering and results delivery to be “key elements” of meaningful use, noting that electronic lab results delivery, along with electronic prescribing, will be a “pillar” of the 2011 meaningful use requirements for ambulatory providers. The IE Workgroup reported that widely-varying interpretation of legal requirements “across states and lab sources,” a lack of requirements for messaging and vocabulary standards, and the absence of an ability to monitor and enforce present standards are systemic regulatory issues that must be overcome. To help remedy these challenges, the IE workgroup suggested that CLIA regulatory changes or interpretive guidance, HIT system certification and meaningful use incentives and requirements, and contracting requirements with Health Information Exchanges are potential policy “levers” to encourage increased use of electronic data by these providers.