The value of health information technology covers much more than those five words might imply. All of us, as members of the healthcare community, strive to find and use the most effective tools and methods to improve patient care.
Our patients expect and deserve quality, and consistent and safe care delivery.
Much has been written and researched on the value of IT in healthcare. Examples from hospitals, health systems and ambulatory-care facilities offer the required evidence, since those care providers rely on digital technologies every day as they interact with patients. The following are some examples to consider.
St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh has avoided 1,100 errors on average per year since 2004, thanks to technology. The hospital developed and implemented dual-scanning technology, bar-coding and radio-frequency identification with nursing personnel, using real-time automated charting of medication administration into the electronic medication-administration record.
As a result of an electronic health record-enabled initiative using clinical decision support to improve pneumonia vaccinations, Fremont (Neb.) Family Health achieved a more than 50% decrease in the number of its patients hospitalized for pneumonia.
Sentara Healthcare, based in Norfolk, Va., uses a closed-loop medication system and reports 96% compliance on scanning and roughly 12,500 medication errors avoided per month.
Additional examples are easy to find across the country.
The value of IT and the Triple Aim: The 26th Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey, conducted January through February this year, is based on responses from 330 chief information officers and other senior leaders at healthcare organizations nationwide. These respondents cite IT as a valuable and actionable foundation for achieving the Triple Aim: improving patient care and population health while reducing healthcare costs.
Using IT at the respondents' respective organizations resulted in:
- 68% improved quality of care and patient satisfaction
- 53% reduced cost in healthcare delivery
- 51% gains in metrics measuring population health
During my 15 years at HIMSS and throughout my career, I have watched the steady evolution of acceptance and belief in the power of IT in healthcare. That is why I can say that health IT is more than just its value in cutting costs and improving quality and efficiency—it's a key strategic asset and fundamental to transforming healthcare. I have visited small rural hospitals as well as large healthcare systems, both using IT systems at their highest level throughout the hospitals, physician practices and other care settings. And I also understand and recognize the challenges it takes to implement and use these technologies in an effective and meaningful way.
This week, the 2015 HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition opens in Chicago. For those readers who will be there, there will be an opportunity to see the value of IT firsthand—in the educational sessions as well as in the exhibit areas. There are even dedicated places where the value of health IT will be demonstrated, such as the HIMSS Interoperability Showcase and the HIMSS Health IT Value Suite.
It has been said that information technology is only a tool to achieve better outcomes. But health IT is much more than that: It is a strategic asset in the quest for better care. We don't say that our clinicians are only a tool to achieve better care; we talk about the vital and strategic value of a high-quality staff. We don't say that our facilities are only a tool to deliver healthcare; we trumpet the world-class buildings that house our patient-care delivery systems. They're specifically designed to deliver high-quality care.
Health IT is equally strategic. A patient's outcome is affected by a number of interdependent factors—clinical expertise, accredited facilities, research-based protocols and pharmaceuticals and innovative technology. Digital technologies are no longer only tools to achieve an end, but are a fundamental part of who we are, how we live and how we work. That is true for our health and the healthcare system as well.
