HRS: Play where the puck is by adopting EHR tech
 |
“While promises abound, our feet must remain on the ground,” Shanker said, mentioning that some physicians have compared adopting an EHR to repairing or building an airplane.
Shanker stated that until 2007, EHR adoption had been somewhat lackluster with only 25.9 percent of medical practices having some form of EHR. Even then, most of the information exchange was rudimentary.
Noting the U.S. is behind other countries like the Netherlands, New Zealand and the U.K. where EHR penetration has exceeded 80 percent, Shanker stated that the time for adoption is critical. Hesitations to adoption include funding, anticipation of implementation difficulty, process workflow redesign and lack of support of medical staff within the group.
“What’s interesting is these hesitations for EHR adoption are universally found in the adoption and internalization of any novel technology regardless of sector,” Shanker said. “[Technology change management] requires the support of the people involved in implementation and use of the system. As such, mechanisms need to be in place that provide real-time communication and feedback so an organization can progress from one stage to the next with the ultimate goal of institutionalization of a technology within an organization.”
Smartphone and EHR collaborations already are being leveraged, he reported. In 2011, the telecom industry reaped $2 billion in revenue from mobile-to-mobile (m2m) technology so “it will be increasingly important for your practice to play where the puck is going to be, which underscores the importance to adopt EHR,” Shanker noted.
He said that the m2m market is set to hit $8 billion by 2017. “Products and services are coming out each week.”
For example, he mentioned a system in Sacramento, Calif., that increased compliance to check blood sugars and take medication 80 percent at five months using automated reminder texts to diabetic patients.
With time, health information exchange (HIE) will develop and interoperability will drive a revenue stream, according to Shanker. HIE will be able to improve the accuracy of documentation for coding and direct billing, minimize denials from duplicate testing and reduce staffing needs for making appointments and obtaining records from outside providers, he said. Return-on-investment due to EHR adoption will continue by eliminating transcription costs, reducing courier costs as well as printing costs, equating to less staffing requirements, Shanker added.
While adopting an EHR serves as a competitive advantage for recruitment, Shanker acknowledged there are some concerning trends that exist. Citing 2012 data from a briefing from the National Press Club, while 91 percent of physicians can receive incentive payments, only 51 percent of physicians intend to apply, he stated. Additionally, only 11 percent of physicians reported having EHRs sufficient to support Stage 1 meaningful use objectives.
“Looking forward, when you start looking to possibly adopt an EHR, it’s important to choose EHR vendors that have longitudinal experience and are qualified to submit quality data for PQRS and e-prescibing programs,” he concluded.