Quality reporting top concern for healthcare's top execs

Article from HealthcareITNews.com

November 22, 2010 | Bernie Monegain, Editor 

WEYMOUTH, MA – Top of mind for healthcare organizations aiming to achieve meaningful use is quality reporting, according to a new survey from healthcare consulting firm Beacon Partners.

Beacon Partners announced the results of its ARRA Preparedness and Sustainability study as the first deadline of July 2011 approaches for healthcare organizations to achieve meaningful use in order to obtain maximum ARRA incentive money.

"Right now there is a lot of emphasis on getting as much ARRA incentive money as possible," said Ralph P. Fargnoli, Jr., president and CEO of Beacon Partners. "Healthcare organizations are under a lot of pressure as such, but what about down the road when that money is no longer a factor? The results of this study provide a good glimpse as to how well healthcare organizations are preparing for the long-term sustainability of their investments after the ARRA incentive dollars are gone."

Key findings of the study include:
 

BV2842 Workstation

• Forty-five percent of respondents have not applied for any federal or local grants, which is a viable way in which to ignite the process of initiating Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) to attain meaningful use.
• In a step towards sustaining their overall IT investment, the majority of healthcare organizations have built IT expenditures into their financial plans for the coming years to help support patient care, clinical quality and safety as part of their annual spending, tactical planning and strategic multi-year plans.
• Most healthcare organizations (more than 80 percent) will either maintain or increase their IT investments if they are awarded the meaningful use incentive payments.
• Fifteen percent of respondents have operational HIEs. Nearly 60 percent of the respondents have HIE plans in development and more than 20 percent are in the pre-planning stages.
• More than 40 percent of respondents have plans to enhance their physician and patient portals, which are crucial to the development of a sound and secure infrastructure at any healthcare organization.
• In their efforts to achieve meaningful use, quality reporting is the biggest concern among 73 percent of respondents.

"In those efforts to achieve meaningful use, quality reporting is a major concern," notes the Beacon report. "Lack of quality reporting is largely due to the fact that the efforts required to transform current workflow into an EHR will require significant technology and human resources."