Study: PA hospitals have high IT adoption rates

While hospitals across the U.S. are fleshing out their IT infrastructure, particularly given the mounting pressure from health reformers, it looks like Pennsylvania health organizations may have an edge.  According to a new survey from the state's hospital association, the state's hospitals are adopting IT more aggressively than their peers in many other states.

Conclusions from The Hospital & Healthsystem Association report, which drew on an American Hospital Association study, include:

That Pennsylvania hospitals are using more health IT functions at higher levels
That the state's hospitals are using CPOE at higher levels
That Pennsylvania hospitals spend more per bed on IT than hospitals elsewhere in the U.S.
That more Pennsylvania hospitals have partially or completely implemented EMRs than in other states

The biggest challenge in moving ahead with these investments is simply what they cost, said HAP president and CEO Carolyn Scanlan. Scanlan called on lawmakers to keep developing proposals to subsidize health IT development, including grant and loan programs.

To learn more about the study:
- read this press release from the hospital association
- read the report (.pdf)

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