Data found in the OHA’s eHealth Applications Viewer demonstrates that as hospitals increase their levels of eHealth capability to support clinical care, there is a steady increase in the impact on the hospital’s operating budget. This trend impacts the pace at which hospitals can adopt and sustain eHealth functionality as these types of investments compete with other operating budget pressures within a hospital.
One of the reasons for the trend is the increase in IT staff required to support progressively sophisticated eHealth systems. As the chart below demonstrates, the number of FTEs supported per IT FTE goes down as a hospital advances through the various stages. This is not surprising, considering that more sophisticated eHealth typically means more clinicians across more departments are using information technology to enhance a greater range of clinical functions. In short, the demands on IT departments are going up even as overall staffing levels remain relatively constant.
For the past year, the OHA has been collecting an inventory of hospitals’ eHealth technologies and applications in partnership with HIMSS Analytics, a leading data analysis organization. With the data, HIMSS Analytics has been able to produce each hospital’s Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAMSM) score. Using these scores and financial data, which is available through the OHA’s eHealth Applications Viewer, hospitals can benchmark themselves against the above charts or specific peers of their choosing.
For more information on the HIMSS Analytics EMRAM methodology, click here.