According to a March HIMSS survey, implementing IT systems that attest to Meaningful Use standards is still a top priority for hospitals. In fact, 66% of CIOs report achieving Meaningful Use at their organizations as a result of ongoing HIT efforts.
In recent years, the federal government has been pushing the adoption of healthcare technologies, specifically those aimed to help medical professionals meet Meaningful Use and successfully convert to ICD-10. These efforts are often questioned by critics who wonder whether health IT investments are really paying off. A recent HIMSS survey suggests they have.
Nearly 300 hospital executives completed an online survey between December 2012 and February 2013 – and health IT gains were reported in the following areas:
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- Meaningful Use: 66% reported having achieved MU Stage 1, and 75% said they planned to attest to Stage 2 in 2014.
- Health Information Exchanges: 51% reported their organization was participating in an HIE.
- ICD-10: 87% said they were on track to be ICD-10 compliant by 2014, and 47% indicated that ICD-10 compliance was their top financial IT focus.
According to a statement by Jennifer Horowitz, senior director of research at HIMSS Analytics, “It seems that we have reached a tipping point where initial government investments are beginning to pay off and Meaningful Use is becoming ingrained in the healthcare industry.”
Despite this, healthcare officials continue to share a common preoccupation: IT staffing shortages. More than half of survey respondents reported an intention to increase IT staff over the next year, but 21% fear they may not be able to find qualified technicians to help them meet their IT objectives. High demand areas include clinical application support, network/architecture support, and clinical informatics.
Top Health IT Priorities
Aside from Meaningful Use and ICD-10, the top IT priorities reported by hospital execs, administrators, and IT directors include:
- Optimizing the use of currently installed systems (20%)
- Leveraging information housed in data warehouses and business intelligence systems (17%)
- Focusing on clinical systems (11%)
- Interoperability (6%)
Interestingly, despite growing concerns over data breaches and patient privacy – and the fact that 19% of CIOs reported having experienced a data breach in the past year – only 1% of respondents named “securing patient information” as their top priority. Having IT systems that can increase efficiencies, reduce costs and improve the quality of patient care is important, but ensuring that those technologies are secure is just as crucial.
Amanda Guerrero is a content writer specializing in EHR, healthcare technology and Meaningful Use. In addition to maintaining her own health IT-related blog, she contributes to websites such as HealthTechnologyReview and HITECHAnswers.net.
