Survey: Providers dissatisfied with EHRs but planning HIT investments

Providers nationwide expect increased investments in health IT and telecommunications solutions and modern clinical equipment, according to a new survey from payer Premier, a Charlotte, N.C.-based firm dedicated to transforming the healthcare system.

The survey also suggests that 41 percent of respondents are dissatisfied or indifferent about their current EHR systems. “What we are hearing increasingly from healthcare leaders is dissatisfaction with their existing EHR systems, often citing cost and difficulty of use,” said Premier's COO Michael J. Alkire in a release. “Providers need a solution that integrates clinical, financial and operational data across their hospitals and health systems; the majority of EHR systems cannot do that.”

According to the spring 2014 Economic Outlook C-suite survey, 49 percent of the C-suite respondents plan to make their largest capital investments over the next year in health IT, including EHRs, advanced data analytics and telecommunications. These results are similar to last year's responses, up from 46 percent in spring 2013 and 45 percent from spring 2012. Twenty-two percent of respondents named acquisition of clinical equipment the area in which they are planning the largest capital investments, up from 12 percent in spring 2013.

While labor is considered the biggest driver of healthcare costs, cited by 42 percent of executives compared to 24 percent six months ago, 34 percent of survey respondents cited healthcare legislation and mandates. Since polling in fall 2013, the number of respondents who cited health IT as the biggest driver of costs jumped from 17 percent to 27 percent.

The majority (75 percent) of providers said they are experiencing physician or nurse shortages, with 42 percent experiencing shortages in more than one practice area.

Premier surveyed 127 C-suite executives, including CEOs, CFOs and COOs, from 112 hospitals and health systems of various sizes and types across 32 states.