Revenue generated from personal health record software sales is expected to increase over the next few years, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan, EHR Watch/Government Health IT reports.
Report Details
The report estimates that PHR software-generated revenue will increase from $312.2 million in 2010 to $414.8 million in 2015, representing a 5.8% compound annual growth rate.
The report noted that people traditionally have had a low level of interest in maintaining PHRs. However, researchers predicted that individuals increasingly will be drawn to the technology for various reasons, including:
Jessica Ryan Ohlin — a Frost & Sullivan analyst — suggested that as the health system undergoes structural and payment changes, “public sentiment is shifting away from the traditional passive approach towards recognition of the need to be more proactive about future care and more engaged at the actual point of care” (Rowe, EHR Watch/Government Health IT, 3/12).
Source: iHealthBeat
Providing medical residents with tablet computers could boost efficiency, reduce delays in patient care and improve continuity of care, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, CMIO reports (Byers, CMIO, 3/12).
Study Details
In November 2010, 115 medical residents at the University of Chicago Medicine were given Apple iPads (HealthDay, 3/12). Residents were able to use the iPads to:
In 2011, researchers surveyed the residents about how the devices affected their workflow and patient care.
Study Findings
The study found that:
Researchers also examined data from the hospital’s EHR system to evaluate how the iPad deployment affected residents’ completion of orders. Researchers found that after the residents received iPads, they completed:
Researchers noted that the number of orders for tests and procedures remained the same after the iPad deployment, but slightly more orders were placed within two hours of a patient’s hospital admission (Reuters, 3/12).
Lead author Bhakti Patel and colleagues wrote, “The implementation of personal mobile computing via iPads was associated with improvements in both perceived and actual resident efficiency” (CMIO, 3/12).
Source: iHealthBeat
New York Times columnist Ron Lieber writes that consumers are not posting online reviews of their health care experiences as often as they are posting online reviews of restaurants and other services.
Lieber writes that websites such as HealthGrades, RateMDs, Yelp and Angie’s List have offered a platform for health care reviews, but “listings are often sparse, with few contributors and little substance.” He adds that there is a “demand and supply problem: many people want this information and more consumers would trust it if the sites had more robust offerings.”
According to Lieber, some physicians have “silenced patients away” by asking patients not to review them online or by suing patients who do so.
In addition, some patients might choose not to review their doctors “for a far more ordinary reason: if they live in a small town or are only one or two degrees of social separation from physicians or their family members, they may not want to create any awkwardness,” Lieber writes.
He also notes that some patients might “idolize their doctors,” adding that it is “exactly this sort of unquestioning mind-set that may cause such low participation (or disproportionately positive reviews) at many review sites.”
Lieber writes, “The only solution, then, is to keep populating these sites en masse if you dare and your doctor doesn’t seem to be the suing sort, taking care all the while to tell the truth and be fair” (Lieber, New York Times, 3/9).
Source: iHealthBeat
Small medical offices with just one or two physicians comprise the fastest-growing segment for the adoption of electronic health record systems, according to a report by SK&A, a subsidiary of the health care technology and services company Cegedim, CMIO reports.
The report, titled, “Physician Office Usage of EHR Software,” is based on SK&A’s ongoing telephone survey of 240,281 medical sites.
Main Findings
The report found that during the second half of 2011:
SK&A said the new report marks the first time that EHR adoption rates were found to be rising at a faster pace among solo and small medical practices than among larger medical practices (SK&A release, 3/7).
Additional Findings
Although EHR adoption rates are rising quickly among small practices, overall EHR adoption rates still are higher among practices with more physicians, the survey found.
Researchers noted that practices with more than 26 physicians had an average EHR adoption rate of 77.2%, while offices with between three and five physicians had an average EHR adoption rate of 54.9%.
In addition, the report found that practices with more exam rooms and greater average daily patient volumes tend to have higher EHR adoption rates than practices with fewer exam rooms and lower average daily patient volumes.
The survey also found that EHR adoption rates vary based on a practice’s specialty. According to the report, the specialties with the highest EHR adoption rates are:
Source: iHealthBeat
Thirty percent of surveyed health care providers said they have implemented an electronic health record system that meets the requirements of the meaningful use program, according to a recent survey by The Doctors Company, a medical malpractice insurer, FierceEMR reports (Hirsch, FierceEMR, 3/8).
Under the 2009 economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
Survey Details
For the survey, researchers sent questionnaires asking physicians about their views on EHR adoption and other health care issues.
The results are based on responses from 5,105 doctors in all 50 states.
Findings on EHR Adoption
The survey found that 30% of respondents said they already have adopted an EHR system that meets meaningful use criteria, while 14.3% said they plan to adopt an EHR system that meets meaningful use criteria within the next three years. Seventeen percent said they have no plans to adopt an EHR system.
The survey also found that:
Top States for EHR Adoption
Researchers also examined EHR adoption rates among surveyed physicians by state. They found that the top five states for EHR adoption are:
Source: iHealthBeat
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is seeking public comment on best practices to ensure the privacy and security of health information on mobile devices, according to an announcement on ONC’s website, CMIO reports (Gale, CMIO, 3/6).
ONC defines a mobile device as “a handheld transmitting device with multifunctional capabilities used to store, transmit and receive health information and has user control over the access to the health information” (Goedert, Health Data Management, 3/5).
In the announcement, ONC said it is seeking input on:
Source: iHealthBeat
Electronic health records could encourage physicians to order imaging tests more frequently, raising questions about whether the technology can help reduce medical costs, according to a study published Monday in the journal Health Affairs, the New York Times reports (Lohr, New York Times, 3/5).
The study, conducted by the Cambridge Health Alliance, analyzed data from the 2008 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey on 28,741 patient visits to 1,187 office-based physicians (Gold, “Capsules,” Kaiser Health News, 3/5).
Study Findings
Researchers found that physicians with electronic access to patients’ previous imaging results ordered tests 40% more frequently than those using paper records. Doctors with EHRs ordered tests on 18% of visits, compared with 12.9% for physicians who used paper records.
The study also found doctors with EHRs ordered more advanced and costly imaging, such as MRI tests and CT scans, 70% more frequently than those with paper records.
Although the study did not explore the reasons physicians who use EHRs order more tests, the researchers said the technology could make ordering tests easier (New York Times, 3/5).
Danny McCormick, lead author of the study, said, “As with many other things, if you make things easier to do, people will do them more often” (McKinney, Modern Healthcare, 3/5).
Study Raises Questions About Cost Savings
The study comes as the federal government plans to provide up to $27 billion in incentives through the meaningful use program to encourage health care providers to transition to EHRs, in the hope that the technology will help rein in health care spending (Sun, Washington Post, 3/5). Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHRs can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments.
Proponents of EHRs have said that they help reduce unnecessary and duplicative testing by providing physicians with better and more up-to-date information when treating patients.
However, McCormick said the research “raises real concerns about whether health information technology is going to be the answer to reducing costs.”
Experts Criticize Methodology
Many health policy experts were critical of the study’s methods, noting that the survey data predate the meaningful use incentive program and standards that launched last year (New York Times, 3/5).
Michael Furukawa, a health economist in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, said the focus of the study was limited. “The proper use of advanced health IT functions, we believe, will reduce costs in the long run,” he said (Washington Post, 3/5).
Source: iHealthBeat
Clinical informatics could be a valuable tool for improving patient health and reducing health care costs, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute, Healthcare IT News reports.
Report Details
The report states that health care organizations should view clinical informatics as crucial to their financial success and their ability to manage patient care and wellness.
The report also noted that clinical informatics could be used to engage patients in managing their own health.
Previous Survey
PwC based the new report on data from a previous survey of 600 health care organizations about their health informatics needs.
Among health care provider respondents, the survey found that:
Among health insurer respondents, the survey found that:
However, the survey found that only 15% of health insurers and 13% of health care providers believe they have influenced patient behavior through the use of clinical informatics (Miliard, Healthcare IT News, 3/2).
Daniel Garrett, health IT practice leader at PwC, said, “Health organizations recognize the value of effective informatics and analytics, but they are struggling to institutionalize the insight, make it actionable and use it for competitive advantage” (PricewaterhouseCoopers release, 3/2).
Source: iHealthBeat
Eighty-four percent of health care providers say they consider health IT “invaluable” or “valuable,” according to a survey by CDW Healthcare, FierceHealthIT reports (Bowman, FierceHealthIT, 2/27).
For the survey, CDW Healthcare surveyed 202 health care providers and 200 health IT professionals at hospitals with at least 200 beds.
Health Care Providers
Among the 202 surveyed caregivers, CDW Healthcare found that:
In addition, 71% of health care providers said they would not be able to complete more than 50% of their workload without health IT (CDW Healthcare report, 2/27).
Health IT Professionals
Among the 200 surveyed health IT professionals, CDW Healthcare found that:
In addition, the survey found that:
Source: iHealthBeat
About 85% of hospital-based IT professionals say their organization embraces “bring your own device” — or BYOD — policies that allow employees to use their personal mobile devices at work, according to a survey by Aruba Networks, Computerworld reports (Mearian, Computerworld, 2/24).
For the survey, Aruba Networks interviewed more than 130 hospital-based health IT professionals.
Levels of Access
Although 85% of respondents said their organization has a BYOD policy, the organizations varied in the amount of data they allowed personal mobile devices to access. The survey found that:
Types of Mobile Devices Supported
The survey also found that:
Additional Findings
The survey found that electronic health record applications are the most widely supported application on mobile devices, with 60% of respondents saying their organization supports the use of mobile EHR apps. The next most widely supported mobile apps include picture archiving and communication systems, secure messaging and voice-over IP (Computerworld, 2/24).
The survey also found that more than 75% of respondents said their organization provides Internet access to patients and hospital visitors, but 58% said they use open networks without password protection to do so (Jackson, FierceMobileHealthcare, 2/23).
Source: iHealthBeat
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