Specialty practice staff, physicians less flexible with MU

Specialty practice staff are more likely than primary care providers to report that Meaningful Use (MU) diverts attention from other patient care priorities, according to a survey published in BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill surveyed 400 providers and staff representing 47 ambulatory practices within an integrated delivery system. They assessed whether the respondent’s role and practice-setting type were associated with willingness to change practice behavior and ability to document actions for MU, and hypothesized predictors of readiness. Further, they assessed associations between reported readiness and the hypothesized predictors of readiness.

The study found that compared to advanced practice providers and nursing staff, physicians were less likely to have strong confidence in their department’s ability to solve MU implementation problems.

“Physicians may perceive the change burden falls primarily to them or that MU threatens their autonomy by placing constraints on their ability to structure the patient encounter,” wrote the authors.

The researchers also found evidence that individuals’ perceptions about MU appropriateness and management support are associated with their willingness to change practice behavior.

Read the study.