Health IT, particularly EHRs, is often criticized as cumbersome and expensive, but this technology can produce value.
The 2016 HIMSS Value of Health IT Survey examines the various ways in which EHRs can prove valuable to healthcare stakeholders. Here are five key areas of value.
1. Clinical value. Eighty-three percent of survey respondents indicated their organization's EHR implementation resulted in improved clinical staff quality performance efficiencies. Additionally, 52 percent of respondents reported increased staff productivity.
2. Savings value. Most organizations (90 percent) have a formal measurement in place with at least one financial metric, according to survey respondents. Of these respondents, 81 percent indicated their organizations documented a positive impact in savings. The three most common areas for savings were coding accuracy, days in accounts receivable and transcription costs.
3. Electronic data value. Just fewer than three-quarters of respondents (73 percent) reported their organizations measured at least one electronic data/information metric. Of these respondents, 58 percent reported their organizations found a positive impact in at least one area of electronic data. The most common area of value in electronic data was the ability to share information among providers.
4. Patient education value. More than half of respondents began to see improvement in relation to patient education; 61 percent have seen a positive impact in patient portal use, and 50 percent have seen a positive impact in patient educational material distribution.
5. Satisfaction value. Satisfaction value was more commonly described with nurses: 44 percent of respondents reported satisfaction among their organization's nurses. On the other hand, just 29 percent reported satisfaction among physicians.
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