The meaningful use program accelerated the adoption of electronic health records and set the stage for changes in how we pay for health care and how we conduct research in the United States. As other countries look to the rapid evolution of health IT, there are many lessons to learn from the 30 billion dollars the US invested in the adoption of health information technology. This presentation will review the progress made in the adoption of electronic health records through the meaningful use program, identify 5 key lessons learned in the process, describe near term challenges and anticipate the long term opportunities that informatics professionals as a result of these changes.