Health IT investments have the ability to deliver cost savings to providers, according to a literature review published in the American Journal of Managed Care.
Researchers reviewed articles detailing the financial implications of implementing electronic health records, computerized physician order entry systems, clinical decision support software and health information exchanges. A total of 57 articles were reviewed.
Of the 57 articles, 43 showed financial benefit derived by a stakeholder through the implementation or use of health IT, 10 reported a mixed or neutral effect and four articles reported a negative effect, consistent across both the health IT systems care settings studied. Of the 43 articles showing financial benefit to a stakeholder, providers benefited in 32 articles, payers benefited in 12 articles, society benefited in five articles and consumers benefited in one article.
The most widely reported area of financial benefit was cost savings on administrative goods, services or personnel (as reported in 20 articles), which in turn was mostly achieved through the use of outpatient EHRs. Savings on pharmaceuticals were reported in 17 articles and were mostly associated with the use of CPOE/CDS systems.
While the literature review shows growing evidence that successfully deployed technology has the ability to provide cost savings to providers, the researchers note the evidence is still limited, and further research is warranted.
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