Vendor CEO: Final Report

Results of the 15th Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey, sponsored by Superior Consultant Company, Inc., indicate that cost pressures and patient safety concerns will be the business issues that will have the most impact on healthcare in the next two years. Focus on patient safety is further demonstrated by IT vendor responses regarding their clients’ top IT priorities and applications and technologies deemed most important now and in the next two years. Vendors indicate that implementing an electronic medical record (EMR) and technology to reduce medical errors/improve patient safety will be top priorities of their clients in the next two years.

• HIPAA: Upgrading security on IT systems and implementing privacy modification to meet HIPAA requirements remain among the top current IT priorities for vendor clients; however a sharp decline in importance is expected within the next two years.

• Clinical applications: The top three healthcare applications areas vendors considered to be among the most important for their clients over the next two years are all clinical. EMRs were cited most frequently (60%), followed by computer-based practitioner order entry (CPOE) (55%), and clinical information systems (47%).

• Top technologies: High-speed networks, data security, and bar coding were most frequently cited as technologies vendors considered most important to their healthcare clients now. High-speed networks and bar coding technology showed the greatest increases in importance compared to 2003 results.

• Technology adoption: Vendors most frequently identified wireless information systems, web-enabled clinical processes, and web-enabled business transactions as technologies they considered among the most important to their healthcare clients in the next two years. Focus on speech recognition technology is predicted to increase substantially.

• Data security: Biometric technologies, electronic signature, and data encryption were identified by vendors as the security tools that will be most important to healthcare organizations in the next two years.

• IT outsourcing: Two-thirds of respondents (67%) predicted their outsourcing revenues would increase in the next 12 months. None projected a decrease in outsourcing revenue.

Other notable findings include:

• Vendors continue to report the need to prove quantifiable benefits or return on investment to be the top barrier to implementing IT at client facilities.

• System integration was most frequently identified by vendors as the area in which healthcare organizations have staffing needs. Other staffing needs noted by vendors include process/workflow design and clinical champions.