Physicians Using HIT "Optimistic"

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Doctors using HIT are optimistic about it once it is fully integrated according to one new study

A majority of physicians see HIT as a positive addition to their organization, and many believe it will help them provide better quality care despite the higher costs of technology, according to the Deloitte Center for Healthcare Solutions survey, Physician adoption of health information technology: Implications for medical practice leaders and business partners.

In fact, "Seventy-five percent of all physicians consider that clinical capabilities are a major positive reason to collaborate with hospitals – higher among physicians employed in ACOs (89 percent) and those working in integrated systems (84 percent). Seventy-one percent of all physicians believe the promise of reduced costs resulting from increased use of HIT is inflated and that it will cost more, not less – higher among solo physicians (81 percent) and those not employed in ACOs (75 percent),” according the survey.

Information Week Healthcare author Mark Braunstein reviewed the results of the Deloitte survey and writes “at least these three key issues should be clear to all:

• Too many systems were designed to facilitate billing, rather than to improve the quality and efficiency of care. We have a long way to go to develop systems that are usable and efficient for providers at the point of care and facilitate the collection of accurate, robust clinical data. Some EHRs are better at this than others, but the better ones seem to represent a small percentage of the installed base.
• Whatever data they contain, most EHRs do a mediocre job of presenting it to providers in ways that foster effective and efficient care. Now that digital records are becoming commonplace, the relatively new field of data visualization has begun to focus on healthcare, so things may improve over the next few years.
• We must liberate the data. The document-sharing standards built into MU2 are a step in the right direction, but they apply to only a few use cases and involve only a subset of the digital data contained in the typical EHR. That data (particularly as its quality improves) could be a significant tool to improve care quality and efficiency, support better clinical decision making, and power research in a number of domains. Getting there requires that EHR data be far more accessible than it is today.”

Braunstein continues, writing Deloitte concluded "U.S. physicians who use HIT are optimistic about its prospects for better care and lower administrative costs once fully integrated. Seventy-three percent of all physicians believe that HIT will improve the quality of care provided in the longer term."

When it comes to the increase in health information exchanges and HIT in general, Braunstein says, “Financial incentives matter, and two things seem clear about this payment system transition: It can't be managed without advanced health IT, and it's too early to know what the results will be.”

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