AHA: 55% of hospitals expect to incur meaningful use penalties
Fifty-five percent of responding hospitals expect to incur penalties for failing to demonstrate meaningful use by 2015, according to a trend report from the American Hospital Association (AHA).
“[T]he timelines established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and the regulatory requirements proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may prove challenging for hospitals seeking to obtain incentive payments, or even force rushed adoption and jeopardize successful implementation,” stated the Washington, D.C.-based organization.
Sixty-six percent of critical access hospitals and 56 percent of rural hospitals did not expect to demonstrate meaningful use by 2015, according to the report: “Few hospitals have installed the comprehensive EHR systems envisioned in the ARRA.”
According to the AHA, hospital adoption of comprehensive EHRs has been incremental. A recent survey found that 75 percent of hospitals have computerized systems to capture patient demographics and 46 percent have computerized medication lists, but only 15 percent allow for the recording of physician notes across all units.
“Larger, urban and teaching hospitals are more likely to have both EHR technologies and the health IT staff needed to support them, reflecting in part the greater availability of capital to purchase and support such systems,” stated the report.
The authors of the report believe that for hospitals to realize the promise of EHR systems, much planning and deliberation are needed up front. “Hospitals need to ensure new health IT is compatible with existing systems and must alter clinical workflows and organizational culture.”
Sufficient time for design and installation within an entity should be included, added the report. “The chief information officer of CentraState Healthcare System in New Jersey estimates that hospitals need at least three to six months to evaluate and select a system, 18-24 months to install it, and six to 12 months or more to troubleshoot and become productive on their systems,” stated the report. The precise time frame depends on many factors, including baseline IT capabilities and the willingness of physicians to proceed.
AHA noted that many challenges lie ahead as facilities adjust to the new technology. Electronic systems often prompt hospitals and clinicians to redesign care delivery as workflow changes entail both procedural and substantive re-examinations, the report said.
The upfront cost of EMR systems was cited as a key barrier to achieving meaningful use, according to 70 percent of hospitals recently surveyed. And 60 percent were concerned about ongoing maintenance costs. Capital is a concern: EMR system cost “[e]stimates range from $3 million for a small hospital to as much as $200 million for a very large hospital," the report said.
“Hospitals recognize the benefits of health IT tools and support moving toward a technologically advanced healthcare system. Thoughtful implementation--including a certain level of customization and ongoing reference-will achieve the best results for patients, practitioners and hospitals,” the report concluded. “Hospitals and policymakers must strike a balance between swift and careful adoption of health IT, and should design programs to reflect those goals.”
“[T]he timelines established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) and the regulatory requirements proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may prove challenging for hospitals seeking to obtain incentive payments, or even force rushed adoption and jeopardize successful implementation,” stated the Washington, D.C.-based organization.
Sixty-six percent of critical access hospitals and 56 percent of rural hospitals did not expect to demonstrate meaningful use by 2015, according to the report: “Few hospitals have installed the comprehensive EHR systems envisioned in the ARRA.”
According to the AHA, hospital adoption of comprehensive EHRs has been incremental. A recent survey found that 75 percent of hospitals have computerized systems to capture patient demographics and 46 percent have computerized medication lists, but only 15 percent allow for the recording of physician notes across all units.
“Larger, urban and teaching hospitals are more likely to have both EHR technologies and the health IT staff needed to support them, reflecting in part the greater availability of capital to purchase and support such systems,” stated the report.
The authors of the report believe that for hospitals to realize the promise of EHR systems, much planning and deliberation are needed up front. “Hospitals need to ensure new health IT is compatible with existing systems and must alter clinical workflows and organizational culture.”
Sufficient time for design and installation within an entity should be included, added the report. “The chief information officer of CentraState Healthcare System in New Jersey estimates that hospitals need at least three to six months to evaluate and select a system, 18-24 months to install it, and six to 12 months or more to troubleshoot and become productive on their systems,” stated the report. The precise time frame depends on many factors, including baseline IT capabilities and the willingness of physicians to proceed.
AHA noted that many challenges lie ahead as facilities adjust to the new technology. Electronic systems often prompt hospitals and clinicians to redesign care delivery as workflow changes entail both procedural and substantive re-examinations, the report said.
The upfront cost of EMR systems was cited as a key barrier to achieving meaningful use, according to 70 percent of hospitals recently surveyed. And 60 percent were concerned about ongoing maintenance costs. Capital is a concern: EMR system cost “[e]stimates range from $3 million for a small hospital to as much as $200 million for a very large hospital," the report said.
“Hospitals recognize the benefits of health IT tools and support moving toward a technologically advanced healthcare system. Thoughtful implementation--including a certain level of customization and ongoing reference-will achieve the best results for patients, practitioners and hospitals,” the report concluded. “Hospitals and policymakers must strike a balance between swift and careful adoption of health IT, and should design programs to reflect those goals.”