The idea that health information technologies like electronic health records can improve the quality of care and provider efficiency while reducing costs is nothing new. However, as the number of healthcare facilities that have adopted new technologies grows, medical professionals are finding out first-hand about the ways medical technology can improve their practices.
Providers are transitioning to electronic health record systems in record numbers. As David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health IT, recently pointed out in a blog entry, the reason for this increase has to do with the fact that the government is getting closer to implementing its incentives program.
Officials believe that they could start distributing payments for providers that following the meaningful use rules as early as April. There has been a lot of attention given to this program and many medical professionals are excited about the prospect of being rewarded for using technology to improve the way they deliver care.
"We've known for years that health information technology can improve health care," he wrote. "But until recently, the implementation rate among providers has been low, except for a few early adopters. With HITECH Act programs now in full swing, it looks clear that adoption and use of health information technology will go into high gear."
As evidence, Blumenthal pointed to two recent studies. One from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 50.7 percent of office-based physicians currently use an electronic health records system. This number is up from 2009 when just 48.3 percent were using health IT systems.
Another survey from the Department of Health and Human Services found that the vast majority of healthcare providers plan to adopt a system to participate in the government's incentives program. The survey found that 81 percent of hospitals plan to adopt electronic health records in accordance with meaningful use, while 41 percent of office-based physicians will participate.
"We are pleased to see this evidence of an enthusiastic early response, and we believe participation will continue to grow, especially as the nation's physicians become more familiar with this one-time opportunity to improve care while helping to offset the costs of adopting EHR systems," said Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, of the findings.
Registration for the electronic health records incentive program is currently open to all healthcare providers who are interested.