The federal stimulus money for "meaningful use" of EHRs was supposed to be exactly that--a stimulus--to encourage health IT adoption and quality improvement. If some new survey numbers are to believed, many healthcare organizations are making long-term plans to sustain and even increase their IT spending even after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act cash runs out.

More than 80 percent of the 200 healthcare organizations surveyed by Boston-based Beacon Partners said they would maintain or boost investment in IT if they do in fact earn Medicare and Medicaid bonus payments for meaningful use starting next year. "Most of our survey respondents are, indeed, funding IT advancements to support patient care, clinical quality and safety as part of their annual spending, tactical planning and strategic investment," the study says.

Still, 45 percent of providers have not applied for federal or local grants to assist them in IT implementation, according to Beacon. (We suspect the true number is much higher because less than 10 percent of Beacon survey participants came from physician practices.)

The survey also indicates that many organizations will struggle with quality reporting and health information exchange. Quality reporting is the top concern for 73 percent of respondents as they move toward meaningful use. And though nearly 60 percent of those surveyed have HIE plans in place, just 15 percent are part of operational HIEs.

"In those efforts to achieve meaningful use, quality reporting is a major concern," the report says. "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."

To learn more:
- read this Healthcare IT News story
- see this CMIO story
- view the Beacon Partners press release
- download the study (.pdf)

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