Health Information Technology
Summary
Health Information Technology (HIT) is an increasingly central component of care delivery, linking providers and patients with the information they need in a timely and efficient manner. The effective use of HIT and electronic health records (EHRs) can streamline processes and improve quality of patient care when properly implemented. In addition, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) both include several provisions aimed at promoting the use of HIT by hospitals and other providers.
However, hospitals seeking to develop EHRs and other HIT systems must overcome several barriers to implementation. HIT systems are expensive to purchase, require staff training, require regular maintenance and upgrades and a communication to engage employees. Another barrier to implementation is the automation of ineffective processes. Prior to implementation, workflow streams need to be evaluated and redesigned. Successful organizations align their HIT strategy with overall organizational objectives, instead of setting HIT implementation as an end goal. For more information on the keys to HIT implementation, download the Health Care Leader Action Guide on Implementation of Electronic Health Records, a guide for HIT implementation produced by HRET and designed for high-level hospital executives.
Health Care Reform/Regulatory/Policy Considerations
The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains several provisions aimed at helping providers implement HIT systems. These include the development of interoperable, secure HIT standards to facilitate enrollment in state and federal health programs within 180 days of enactment in September 2010, and the development of a plan for integrating quality reporting with the meaningful use of EHRs by 2012. For more information on the role of HIT implementation in health reform, visit the AHA's Health Care Reform: Moving Forward.
The 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act also promotes the widespread adoption of HIT to support the electronic sharing of clinical data among hospitals, physicians and other health care stakeholders. Hospitals that comply with the meaningful use provisions of the HITECH Act, which were released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services earlier this year, will receive Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments starting in 2011. According to CMS, the HITECH Act specifies three main components of Meaningful Use:
- The use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner.
- The use of certified EHR technology for electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of health care.
- The use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality and other measures.
The HITECH bill also establishes four major goals that advance the use of HIT:
- Requiring the government to take a leadership role to develop standards by 2010 that allow for the nationwide electronic exchange and use of health information to improve quality and coordination of care.
- Investing $20 billion in health information technology infrastructure and Medicare and Medicaid incentives to encourage doctors and hospitals to use HIT to electronically exchange patients' health information.
- Saving the government $10 billion, and generating additional savings throughout the health sector, through improvements in quality of care and care coordination, and reductions in medical errors and duplicative care.
- Strengthening Federal privacy and security law to protect identifiable health information from misuse as the health care sector increases use of Health IT.
As a result of this legislation, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that approximately 90 percent of doctors and 70 percent of hospitals will be using comprehensive electronic health records within the next decade.
HRET Resources
The AHA and HRET offer resources and programs to help hospitals successfully implement and adopt HIT tools, including the Health Care Leader Action Guide on Implementation of Electronic Health Records and the AHA Health Information Technology Advocacy - Meaningful Use guide.
