Weekly roundup: Encouraging EHR adoption rates

Beth Walsh, Editor, CMIO

The National Center for Health Statistics released encouraging numbers for physician adoption of EHR systems and Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, the national coordinator of health IT, was quick to comment on the high satisfaction rate and "tangible benefits" available today for patients, in his post on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' HealthITBuzz blog.

According to the brief, 55 percent of physicians had adopted an EHR system in 2011 and 77 percent of physicians who have adopted an EHR system reported that their system meets federal meaningful use criteria. Most are pleased with their EHR system with 47 percent reported being somewhat satisfied and 38 percent reported being satisfied. About three-quarters of adopters reported that using their EHR system resulted in enhanced patient care. Nearly one-half of physicians currently without an EHR system plan to purchase or use one already purchased within the next year.

Mostashari pointed out opportunities for improvement, specifically mentioning the fact that less than one-third of physicians reported that their EHR helped them identify needed lab tests, and only one-quarter of EHR adopters reported using their EHR in the last 30 days for patient communications.

"We are taking action to address these issues," he wrote, referring to the recently announced initiative to use the Direct Project to send lab results directly to EHRs and the proposed requirements for Stage 2 meaningful use with an emphasis on standards-based information exchange and patient and family engagement.

Also in the news this week was our article about the results of the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems (AMDIS) annual CMIO survey. William F. Bria, MD, chairman of the AMDIS board and director of informatics at Shriners Hospital for Children in Tampa, Fla., discussed the changing role of the CMIO.  For example, “there’s an interest in analytics, in the idea that the engagement between the practice of medicine and the use of health IT does not end once an EHR has been implemented or all three stages of meaningful use completed,” he said. “Analytics are forever, continuously requiring improvement and refinement. As new interventions and discoveries are made, we need to properly integrate them into the fabric of healthcare systems.”

Another CMIO feature was my interview with Gregory C. Reicks, DO, chairman of the regional health information exchange (HIE), Quality Health Network and family physician for 24 years, who recently attended a White House/Department of Health and Human Services town hall meeting, representing the Colorado Beacon community.

One benefit is getting a better handle on available technology and using it to its highest potential. “Prior to Beacon, we weren’t really using our population health management tool as effectively as we could have." The Beacon commitment, including the required reporting, forced Reicks and his practice to use tools more proactively.

The second benefit is access to more resources, including the opportunity to have coaches work with the practice staff on a regular basis on practice transformation. The coaches have introduced different strategies for problem-solving and the practice has used Beacon’s Play, Do, Study, Act method to make several rapid-cycle improvements.

From increasing EHR adoption to the transformation of practices, health IT continues to make its mark and prove its value.

Beth Walsh
CMIO Editor
[email protected]