Summary:
The change in U.S. health care reimbursement models from one based solely on volume to one that increasingly depends on the value of the services delivered represents a seismic shift in health care. The shift to value-based purchasing is affecting health systems’ focus and priorities from the bedside to the boardroom — and technology plays an increasingly important role in supporting process change and care model evolution.
To better understand how value-based purchasing is influencing hospital information technology decision-making, Vocera Communications sponsored research by global health care advisor HIMSS Analytics, which surveyed 256 executives from health systems, hospitals, and clinics during the 2016 HIMSS conference in Las Vegas. More than one-third (35 percent) of the respondents were C-suite decision-makers. Thirty percent were clinical leaders: chief medical information officers, chief medical officers, and chief nursing officers. Forty-five percent were IT leaders: chief information officers and IT directors and managers.
Overview:
Clinical efficiency, coordinated communications, and greater EHR integration support value-based care. Value-based purchasing will be a major driver of health care IT decisions, especially for solutions that offer improved clinical efficiency. With 87 percent of survey participants rating value-based purchasing a major or moderate influence on technology strategy, and 81 percent seeking technology solutions that will make clinical operations more efficient, health care leaders are clearly aligned around the key role technology will play in supporting value-based care. However, with clinical leaders on the hook for the clinical, experiential, and financial outcomes of value-based care, IT leaders will need to look for strong guidance from clinical leaders about how to prioritize solutions that address workflow and connect care teams across the continuum.
Where IT leaders will have an opportunity to shine is around clinical systems integration. Linking data across disparate systems and prioritizing IT solutions that support data integration across the IT ecosystem will help clinical leaders put the right information into the hands of the right care team decision-makers to support value-based care.
