A recent study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that digital health records save money. According to the study, the savings, however, are minuscule. Doctors will only save approximately $5 per patient per month compared to the use of paper records.
EHRs Slow to Catch On, but Inevitable
In an abstract from a Health Affairs study, researchers report that use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is increasing, but slowly.” Only 44% of hospitals report having and using what we define as at least a basic EHR system,” they report. Only about 5% meet federally defined stage 2 criteria.
The 2009 Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) requires that hospitals implement EHRs. By 2015, many hospitals face stiff penalties if they do not achieve a federally mandated “minimal use” of EHRs. Small and rural hospitals especially lag behind, according to the Health Affairs study.
In an editorial to the Annals of Internal Medicine study, Dr. Rainu Kaushal of the Weill Cornell Medical College says, “Between this need to modernize and meeting oncoming health reform mandates and penalties, nearly every hospital and most doctors will be using the technology.” Kaushal directs the Center for Healthcare Informatics and Policy at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Prospects for Health Information Technology Careers
In spite of the mixed news from these studies, EHRs are likely to impact the need for health information professionals. In a article, Jonathan Weiner, professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says “patients will be getting much more care at home and in the community through electronically connected systems.”
Weiner points out that doctors won’t be able to do this alone, but will need “physical and virtual administrative…support teams,” that are trained in the information technology field specifically for healthcare.
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