Measuring the impact of certified electronic health record technology on cost, quality and safety outcomes

Abstract

Fewer than 9% of US hospitals had basic EHR systems as of 2008. The HITECH Act funded a multi-billion-dollar investment to close this gap requiring standards known as meaningful use (MU). The study was undertaken to assess whether this investment achieved the stated aims of MU; EHR adoption, lower cost and higher quality. The study is across-sectional, retrospective design; it employed two cohorts, MU vs. non-MU hospitals. Publicly reported, risk adjusted data from 4,221 hospitals (95%) on clinical, cost and safety metrics were analysed. The findings: EHR adoption by hospitals responded positively in response to incentives, rising from 8% to 55%. Quality outcomes showed 21,000 fewer deaths (p < 0.05) between the three clinical conditions (heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia). The HITECH Act had a positive return on investment with lower hospital cost per discharge of $327 (p < 0.05). The study results suggest hospitals with EHRs' that met MU standards demonstrate statistically significant mortality and cost improvement.

Technology acceptance model among nurses and other healthcare providers during the 2019 Coronavirus pandemic: a comparative cross-sectional study

“…However, electronic health records (EHRs) generally improve healthcare quality, reduce clinical errors, and in terms of societal outcomes, they enhance the ability to conduct research, improve population health, and reduce costs (Menachemi & Collum, 2011). They can also improve the overall quality of hospital processes, which is reflected in quality indicators (Conte et al, 2019). EHRs can provide easy access to patient information, facilitating research and the implementation of evidence-based interventions (Clegg et al, 2016).…”