CHIME survey: Reality sets in for MU
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Nevertheless, 90 percent of respondents in the third survey were optimistic that their sites would qualify for Stage 1 meaningful use incentives, even if the process takes longer than they may have bargained for, the survey found.
The third quarterly survey drew responses from 200 CHIME members, said Sharon Canner, CHIME’s senior director of advocacy, during an April 13 conference call. It follows the readiness surveys conducted in August and in November 2010.
The latest survey results show CIOs are still optimistic about their prospects for receiving stimulus funding, said Gretchen E. Tegethoff, CIO of The George Washington University Hospital and vice chair of CHIME’s advocacy leadership team. Ninety percent expect to qualify for funding for Stage 1 in fiscal years 2011 to 2013.
“This has remained consistent across the three surveys CHIME has conducted. However, optimism about receiving Stage 1 payments early in the program has declined,” Tegethoff said. “Only 7.5 percent said their organizations would qualify by April 1, 2011. This is compared with 15 percent [in] our November 2010 survey and 28 percent in the August 2010 [results].”
In all, about one-third of respondents said they expect to qualify for funding by Sept. 30, 2011, which marks the first year of the program, she said.
Optimism varies by facility size and type, the survey found. CIOs at facilities with a bed count of 200 to 399 beds had the lowest expectations of achieving funding before Sept. 30, 2011, with less than 20 percent of those surveyed indicating they would do so. CIOs at organizations with 400 to 599 beds were most optimistic about their chances of qualifying for funds in the first year—40 percent of respondents said they expected to do so—edging those at facilities with 600 beds or more by more than 5 percent, according to the survey.
Community hospitals had the lowest expectations for qualifying for stimulus funding in fiscal year 2011 (just over 25 percent); academic medical centers had the highest expectation of qualifying in FY 2011 (42 percent).
CIOs’ top concerns about meaningful use have shifted, said Pamela McNutt, chair of CHIME’s Policy Steering Committee and senior vice president and CIO at Methodist Health System in Dallas. For example, “last year, people were very concerned about certification and CPOE, and what we’ve seen emerge now is that 26 percent of participants in survey are now concerned about capturing and submitting quality measures,” said McNutt.
“Overall, 85 percent still have concerns about whether they can meet MU, though they are optimistic that they can, but the quality measures are becoming the sticky wicket for everyone,” she said. “These quality measures have to be created directly from your EHR, versus having them abstracted and entered into the CMS website as we do today. This is proving to be very chellenging. Another 26 percent are still struggling to get CPOE implemented up to that 30 percent watermark.”
In addition, “I think people are still struggling somewhat with getting in the queue with their vendor to have their software delivered up and running, [and] I think all of us are experiencing a shortage of qualified staff to help us with those endeavors,” she said.
McNutt noted that 75 percent of respondents are concerned about legislative proposals that might repeal incentive funding or the possibility that incentive funds would not be available. “Another 45 percent of CIOs still have lingering questions about the entire program, nearly six months after the start,” she added.
Click here to see the complete survey.