Meaningful Use Could Boost IT Investments

More than 50% of provider organizations recently surveyed expect to increase their information technology investments, and more than a quarter will maintain their investments, if they receive meaningful use incentive payments. Only about 5% or less expect to reduce these budgets.

Beacon Partners, a Weymouth, Mass.-based consultancy, conducted the survey of 200 organizations, nearly all of them hospitals and more than half community hospitals.

Other survey results include:

•  About 60% of respondents have development of health information exchange strategies under development with nearly 25% of others pre-planning. About 15% have an operational HIE.

•  More than three-quarters prefer a single vendor for inpatient applications versus best of breed, with single-vendor also preferred by more than half for ambulatory areas and physician practices.

•  Forty percent of respondents have plans to enhance physician and patient Web portals.

•  Meeting quality-reporting requirements is the biggest concern of achieving meaningful use for 73% of respondents.

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This story has been reprinted with permission from Health Data Management.

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