IT Priorities

Half of healthcare IT professionals indicated that a focus on clinical systems will be their organizations’ top IT priority in the next year, with a specific focus on EMR and CPOE technology.  Respondents will address these issues in a climate in which half of respondents indicated that financial considerations such as demand for capital or finding new revenue sources will be the issue with the most impact on healthcare over the next two years.

Respondents were asked to identify the single IT priority at their organization in the next two years.  Half indicated that their organization would focus on clinical systems.  Another 18 percent of respondents indicated that their organization would focus on optimizing the effective use of currently installed systems.  Eleven (11) percent noted that their organization would focus on ambulatory systems, including both practice management systems and electronic medical records (EMRs).  Least likely to be identified as an IT priority were supply chain management and RCM solutions, both of which were selected by fewer than one percent of respondents. 

This research clearly suggests that clinical systems will be a key focus for organizations over the next two years.  Within the clinical environment, all respondents were asked to identify what their key focus would be, and nearly one-third of respondents (31 percent) indicated that the primary clinical focus at their organization would be to ensure that the organization has a full EMR.  Another 17 percent of respondents indicated that their primary focus would be to ensure that their organization installed a computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system.  Nine percent of respondents suggested that their organization would focus on their closed loop medication administration environment.  Least likely to be identified were installing a clinical decision support (CDSS) environment for nurses and installing radiology PACS (RPACS).  Each was identified by only two percent of respondents.   

Even though the majority of respondents suggested that their organization would focus on clinical systems over the course of the next two years, this can’t be done to the exclusion of other systems in their environment.  As such, all respondents were asked to identify their priority with regard to the financial IT systems at their organization.  Twenty percent of respondents indicated that they would focus on upgrading their patient billing system.  Another 12 percent of respondents indicated that they would upgrade their patient access system, which includes registration and admission/discharge/transfer (ADT).  Only three percent of respondents suggested that they would focus on implementing claims transactions directly with payers, so that this function could be done without clearinghouse support.     

Respondents were asked to identify the single key business objective that their organization is trying to achieve in the next 12 months.  Nearly one-third of respondents (29 percent) indicated that they were trying to sustain financial viability/survival.  Another quarter (24 percent) indicated a focus on improving patient safety/quality of care.  Also selected by nearly one quarter of respondents (23 percent) was improving operational efficiencies and lowering operating costs via process re-engineering techniques.  Identified least frequently was attracting qualified staff; this was selected by only one percent of respondents.        

Given a list of options from which to choose the business issue that they felt would have the most impact on health care in the next two years, more than half of respondents (54 percent) indicated that financial considerations, such as demand for capital and finding new revenue sources was the business issue that would impact their organization.  The only other option to be selected by a minimum of ten percent of respondents was consumer/patient financial considerations, which includes quality of care, patient satisfaction, and the demand for health services information by patients.  Other options identified by at least five percent of respondents are noted below:

  • Shifting Healthcare Landscape—includes increased competition from non-traditional healthcare sources and globalization of healthcare (eight percent);
  • Healthcare Data Interoperability (seven percent);
  • Health Information Exchange (six percent); and
  • Governmental Issues—such as compliance with new regulations (six percent).

Only one percent of respondents selected concerns related to the privacy and security.

Previous HIMSS Leadership Surveys: