U.S. Doctors Embracing Electronic Health Records: Survey

TUESDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- A majority of U.S. physicians have now adopted an electronic health record system as part of their routine practice, a new national survey reveals.

The finding is based on responses provided by nearly 3,200 doctors across the country who completed a mail-in survey in 2011. The survey was conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics as part of an ongoing three-year effort (continuing through 2013) designed to assess perceptions and practices regarding electronic health record systems.

Specifically, the poll found that 55 percent of U.S. doctors have embraced some type of electronic health record system. And roughly 75 percent of those who have done so reported that the type of system they took on meets the criteria of playing a "meaningful" role in their practice, according to the terms of 2009 federal legislation (entitled the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act) designed to promote the use of electronic health records.

What's more, 85 percent of those doctors who now have an electronic health record system in place said they are either "somewhat" or "very" satisfied with its day-to-day operations (47 percent and 38 percent, respectively). And three in four said patient care has improved as a result of electronic health record adoption.

The poll also indicated that among those who have yet to embrace an electronic health record system, almost half said they plan to do so in the coming year.

Physician age seems to have played a role in how likely a doctor was to have already brought an electronic health record system into their practice, the findings showed. While 64 percent of those under the age of 50 have done so, the poll revealed that the same was true of only 49 percent among those aged 50 and older.

Office size also seems to matter, with larger physician practices being more likely to have incorporated an electronic health record system into their administrative infrastructure. Specifically, 86 percent of offices with 11 or more physicians on site had taken on such a system, compared with roughly 60 percent to 62 percent of those with two to 10 physicians and just under 30 percent of single-doctor practices.

But although some kinds of specialists (such as surgeons) were somewhat less likely to have implemented an electronic health record system, race, gender and physician location did not seem to play a role in the likelihood that a doctor's office would or would not bring the technology into their workplace.

Eric Jamoom, of the health care statistics division of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, and colleagues published their findings July 17 in the NCHS Data Brief.

More information

For more on electronic health records, visit the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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Top Health Care Leaders Share 2012 Strategic Outlook in VHA Inc. Survey

IRVING, TX--(Marketwire -02/28/12)- Findings from a January 2012 VHA survey of top U.S. health care leaders reveal that they agree on three top priorities:

Reducing costs Enhancing patient experience Improving clinical outcomes and care coordination

VHA Inc., the national health care network, polled members of its 20-member Large IDN Supply Network ("LISN," pronounced "listen"), which includes many of the nation's largest health care organizations, asking them to identify their top concerns and actions they hope to take to accelerate change.

"Based on our survey results, health care reform and its resulting mandates have definitely sharpened the focus in the C-Suite," explains Mike Duke, VHA senior director, national supply chain services. "This survey clearly indicates that reducing costs is the top priority, followed by enhancing the patient experience and improving clinical outcomes -- all of which are essential to providing quality health care."

Duke added that the health care systems' executives agreed that big gains can't be achieved by just cutting back on staff or services. "Our top leaders know that the next big changes will come from quality improvements to streamline processes while increasing services to better serve patients."

LISN consists of supply chain management leaders at VHA's largest member hospitals and health care systems, including Allina Hospitals & Clinics, BJC HealthCare, Mayo Clinic, Partners Healthcare, Providence Health & Services and Sutter Health. In aggregate, they represent approximately $8.6 billion in health care supply spend between VHA and Novation, VHA's contracting company. (Please see full list of LISN members below).

According to Bruce Mairose, vice chair of supply chain management at Mayo Clinic, "This unique group of the nation's largest health care systems demonstrates that by working together, health care organizations can focus on cost management strategies that will ultimately benefit our patients. We are taking on important and complex initiatives in order to address clinical and operational objectives that have been placed on health care providers.

"While every health care facility or system faces challenges specific to its local markets and its readiness to address reimbursement challenges, we know we have valuable insights we can share with one another. We understand the immediacy of the changes at hand and are sharing knowledge we can collectively use to move the needle on improvements more quickly."

Closer examination of the survey data reveals what the leaders believe will be the key drivers for the next wave of significant change. Approximately 71% of the survey respondents believe the biggest gains will come from improving process and workflow, as well as improving utilization of supplies and services. Approximately 57% also cited reductions in practice variability and 43% noted price reductions in physician preference products, including mechanical hips, knees and the latest pacemakers.

Akin to the challenges faced by the high-tech industry in the '80s, the VHA survey indicates that top hospital administrators expect quality improvements to better their bottom line.

"Reviewing and understanding variability in practice, and the variation in underlying support processes is key. Identifying and reducing unwarranted variation can simultaneously improve quality and reduce overall cost. It's a double win," explains Cheryl Harelstad, vice president of supply chain for Allina Hospitals & Clinics. "The survey also points to the focus on improving utilization, including reducing waste, as a key cost saving measure."

Jody Hatcher, president and chief executive officer of Novation, VHA's supply contracting company, works closely with the LISN group and agrees that cost reductions in physician preference products stand to have a significant impact. "Price leadership remains Novation's top priority, while benchmarking and pricing transparency are more important than ever before. Supply costs are second only to labor costs in terms of large expenses. With positive patient outcomes as their focus, hospitals would rather lower supply costs than cut much-needed staff," he explains.

To this end, survey respondents indicated that enhancing the patient experience and improving the continuum of care to yield better clinical outcomes is their ultimate goal.

"We at Mayo believe the needs of the patient come first and we can't lose sight of that, even as we face the most formidable financial pressures in our history," says Mayo's Mairose.

"The faster we can drive improvements and lower costs, the greater the access and quality of care we can deliver to our patients," says Dennis Maher, vice president of supply chain at Sutter Health. "We touch the lives and wellbeing of our patients so we have a lot on the line. The supply chain is truly an area where we can make a significant difference to our organization's agility and ability to sustain its mission during times of great change."

VHA member hospital and health care systems participating in LISN include:

Allina Hospitals & Clinics Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation BJC HealthCare Cedars-Sinai Health System Indiana University Health Lehigh Valley Health Network Mayo Foundation MedStar Health, Inc. Memorial Hermann Healthcare System NewYork - Presbyterian Hospital Novant Health OhioHealth Partners HealthCare System Premier Health Partners Providence Health and Services Sanford Health Sentara Healthcare Spectrum Health Sutter Health Yale-New Haven Health System

LISN members available for interviews include:

Bruce Mairose, vice chair, supply chain management, Mayo Clinic Cheryl Harelstad, vice president, technology and supply chain, Allina Hospitals & Clinics Dennis Maher, vice president of supply chain, Sutter Health

About VHA Inc.
Based in Irving, TX, VHA Inc. is a national network of not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to drive maximum savings in the supply chain arena, set new levels of clinical performance, and identify and implement best practices to improve operational efficiency and clinical outcomes. Since 1977, VHA has leveraged its expertise in analytics, contracting, consulting and networks to help members achieve their operational, clinical and financial objectives. In 2010, VHA delivered record savings and value of $1.7 billion to members. VHA serves more than 1,350 hospitals and more than 30,000 non-acute care providers nationwide, coordinating delivery of its programs and services through its 15 regional offices. VHA has been ranked as one of the best places to work in healthcare by Modern Healthcare since the publication introduced this list in 2008.

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New Survey Highlights Security Risks Facing Health IT and Security Professionals

Tue, Feb 21, 2012, 2:21 PM EST - U.S. Markets close in 1 hr 39 mins

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