CHICAGO (November 15, 2010) – As healthcare organizations strive to meet the requirements of meaningful use, preliminary data from HIMSS Analytics indicate that the 687 hospitals responding to the survey have the ability to meet both core and menu requirements for Stage 1 of meaningful use. The final rules designate a “core” group of requirements that must be met, plus an additional “menu” of procedures from which providers may choose, according to the government announcement on meaningful use.
Rather than provide a single data snapshot, HIMSS Analytics released this preliminary data, which is statistically significant at a 99 percent confidence level and a 5 percent margin of error, as the first step in its ongoing study of the progress of healthcare organizations to meet meaningful use. Each quarter, beginning January 2011, HIMSS Analytics will release updated data and analysis on meaningful use compliance for healthcare organizations.
HIMSS Analytics, recognized for its annual analysis of health IT implementations at more than 5,000 US, non-federal hospitals, added questions on meaningful use to its annual survey of US hospitals before the final rules were announced. Thus, the data reports on 12 of the 14 core and eight of the 10 menu requirements, since not all of the final requirements were initially included in the questions.
Other findings in this initial data set (detailed in Figure 1 and Figure 2) from HIMSS Analytics include:
· Nearly one quarter (22 percent) of participating hospitals have the capability to achieve 10 or more of the required core measures in the meaningful use Stage 1 requirements.
· Some 34 percent of respondents have the capability to achieve between five and nine of the core measures for meaningful use.
· Just over 40 percent (40.47 percent) of the market indicated they have the capability to meet five or more of the menu items for meaningful use.
““Our data indicate that hospitals have the capability now to meet some of the requirements for meaningful use, which is significant in the lead up to the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs because they indicate that healthcare organizations continue to move toward implementation of health IT,” says John P. Hoyt, FACHE, FHIMSS, Executive Vice President, HIMSS. “HIMSS Analytics will continue to monitor these trends as we track hospital readiness to meet Stage 1 deadlines for achieving meaningful use.”
Watch for updated information on the HIMSS website; updated data will be released each quarter beginning in January 2011.
About HIMSS
HIMSS is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded 50 years ago, HIMSS and its related organizations have offices in Chicago, Washington, DC, Brussels, Singapore, Leipzig, and other locations across the United States. HIMSS represents more than 30,000 individual members, of which two thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations. HIMSS also includes over 470 corporate members and more than 85 not-for-profit organizations that share our mission of transforming healthcare through the effective use of information technology and management systems. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, and research initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care. To learn more about HIMSS and to find out how to join us and our members in advancing our cause, please visit our website at www.himss.org.
About HIMSS Analytics
HIMSS Analytics is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The company collects and analyzes healthcare information related to IT processes and environments, products, IS department composition and costs, IS department management metrics, healthcare trends and purchase-related decisions. HIMSS Analytics delivers high quality products, services and analytical expertise to healthcare delivery organizations, healthcare IT companies, state governments, financial companies, pharmaceutical companies, and consulting firms. Visit www.himssanalytics.org for more information.
This is bad-to-worst news: only 9.6% of respondents can meet 12 of the core criteria...which means AT MOST 9.6% are ready for MU. Some of those 9.6% may be unprepared for 5 Menu set objectives as required (60% of hospitals surveyed are not). The report doesn't say. Also, some of the 9.6% ready for 12 of the Core objectives may not be ready for the 2 Core objectives not asked about. HIMSS can't say, because it didn't ask. The *worst* news, as I see it, is this: *Of the Objectives for MU, 22% and 33% of Hospitals Could Meet ZERO Cores, and ZERO from the Menu Set, Respectively.*
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