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Oct. 22 - EMR Survey Illustrates Trends and Usage

MRI's 2007 Survey of Electronic Medical Record Trends and Usage (co-sponsored by Philips Speech Recognition Systems) is now available. This survey is an annual poll of IT usage among healthcare providers. Among the total of 1011 respondents to the survey, responses from vendors and consultants were deleted; thus, the survey reports results from a database of 819. Of these, almost two-thirds identified themselves as having final or strong influence in EMR-decision making.

The MRI Survey of EMR Trends and Usage reveals such insights as the following:

• Top priorities for strategic decisions in IT
  - The need to improve clinical processes or workflow efficiency.
  - The need to improve quality of care.
  
• Major factors driving EMR adoption in the hospital segment.
  - Patient safety considerations
  - Efficiency and convenience
  - Satisfaction of physicians and clinician employees
  
• Major factors driving EMR adoption in the medical practice segment
  - Improved patient documentation
  - Efficiency/convenience
  - Remote access to patient information.
  
• Major barriers to implementing EMR systems
  - Lack of adequate funding or resources
  - Anticipated difficulties in changing to an EMR system
  - Difficulty in creating a migration plan from paper
  - Inability to find an EMR solution/components at an affordable cost
  
• Information capture methods most in use
  - Free text keyboard entry
  - Structured data entry with pull-down menus
  - Structured data entry with keyboard/mouse
  
• Major factors driving installation of speech recognition (SR) technology
  - Improve productivity
  - Reduce turnaround time
  - Reduce transcription costs.
  
• EMR administrative applications and functions most in use
  - Billing and accounts receivable
  - Scheduling
  - Claims processing
  - Patient appointments
  
• EMR data capture, review, and update applications most in use
  - Patient demographics
  - Allergies and adverse reactions
  - Laboratory results

- Continuity of Care Record use has increased since 2006.

- Use of wireless technologies has increased, with WiFi most used.

- Over half of the respondents rate quality of care, patient safety, and efficiency of healthcare delivery until now as improved by EMRs in their organization and in healthcare in general.

- Over 90% of respondents anticipate that EMRs will have improved quality of care, patient safety, and efficiency of healthcare delivery 10 years from now.

An extended Summary of Survey Observations is available here.

Source: MRI

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