Impact of the HITECH financial incentives on EHR adoption in small,physician-owned practices

BackgroundPhysicians in small physician-owned practices in the United States have been slower to adopt EHRs than physicians in large practices or practices owned by large organizations. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 included provisions intended to address many of the potential barriers to EHR adoption cited in the literature, including a financial incentives program that has paid physicians and other professionals $13 billion through December 2015.ObjectiveGiven the range of factors that may be influencing physicians’ decisions on whether to adopt an EHR, and given the level of HITECH expenditures to date, there is significant policy value in assessing whether the HITECH incentives have actually had an impact on EHR adoption decisions among U.S. physicians in small, physician-owned practices. This study addresses this question by analyzing physicians’ own views on the influence of the HITECH incentives as well as other potential considerations in their decision-making on whether to adopt an EHR.MethodsUsing data from a national survey of physicians, five composite scales were created from groups of survey items to reflect physician views on different potential facilitators and barriers for EHR adoption as of 2011, after the launch of the HITECH incentives program. Multinomial and binary logistic regression models were specified to test which of these physician-reported considerations have a significant relationship with EHR adoption status among 1043 physicians working in physician-owned practices with no more than 10 physicians.ResultsPhysicians’ views on the importance of the HITECH financial incentives are strongly associated with EHR adoption during the first three years of the HITECH period (2010–2012). In the study’s primary model, a one-point increase on a three-point scale for physician-reported influence of the HITECH financial incentives increases the relative risk of being in the process of adoption in 2011, compared to the risk of remaining a non-adopter, by a factor of 4.02 (p < 0.001, 95% CI of 2.06–7.85). In a second model which excludes pre-HITECH adopters from the data, a one-point increase on the incentives scale increases the relative risk of having become a new EHR user in 2010 or 2011, compared to the risk of remaining a non-adopter, by a factor of 3.98 (p < 0.01, 95% CI of 1.48–10.68) and also increases the relative risk of being in the process of adoption in 2011 by a factor of 5.73 (p < 0.001, 95% CI of 2.57–12.76), compared to the risk of remaining a non-adopter in 2011. In contrast, a composite scale that reflects whether physicians viewed choosing a specific EHR vendor as challenging is not associated with adoption status.ConclusionsThis study’s principal finding is that the HITECH financial incentives were influential in accelerating EHR adoption among small, physician-owned practices in the United States. A second finding is that physician decision-making on EHR adoption in the United States has not matched what would be predicted by the literature on network effects. The market’s failure to converge on a dominant design in the absence of interoperability means it will be difficult to achieve widespread exchange of patients’ clinical information among different health care provider organizations.     

A multidisciplinary approach to designing and evaluating Electronic Medical Record portal messages that support patient self-care

We describe a project intended to improve the use of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) patient portal information by older adults with diverse numeracy and literacy abilities, so that portals can better support patient-centered care. Patient portals are intended to bridge patients and providers by ensuring patients have continuous access to their health information and services. However, they are underutilized, especially by older adults with low health literacy, because they often function more as information repositories than as tools to engage patients. We outline an interdisciplinary approach to designing and evaluating portal-based messages that convey clinical test results so as to support patient-centered care. We first describe a theory-based framework for designing effective messages for patients. This involves analyzing shortcomings of the standard portal message format (presenting numerical test results with little context to guide comprehension) and developing verbally, graphically, video- and computer agent-based formats that enhance context. The framework encompasses theories from cognitive and behavioral science (health literacy, fuzzy trace memory, behavior change) as well as computational/engineering approaches (e.g., image and speech processing models). We then describe an approach to evaluating whether the formats improve comprehension of and responses to the messages about test results, focusing on our methods. The approach combines quantitative (e.g., response accuracy, Likert scale responses) and qualitative (interview) measures, as well as experimental and individual difference methods in order to investigate which formats are more effective, and whether some formats benefit some types of patients more than others. We also report the results of two pilot studies conducted as part of developing the message formats.     

医院信息化:临床决策支持系统构建

临床决策支持系统是医院信息化的一部分,本文提出一种基于电子病历的冠心病临床决策支持系统,对系统的结构及功能进行设计,包括前端显示、数据库模块、服务器功能模块,介绍系统的工作流程。通过该系统可以返回与待诊治病例相似度高的已治愈病例,不仅有助于医生实现个性化诊疗,同时对临床路径的发展具有推动作用。     

电子病历文档管理系统设计与关键问题实现

结合中山市人民医院病历文档归档、查阅和系统管理需求,设计电子病历文档管理系统,包括归档管理、查阅管理、系统管理3大模块,重点解决系统平台实现、自动建立电子病历文档基本信息库、数据审核、网络查阅、安全设计、标准化6个关键问题.     

基于电子鼻技术的多基原莪术鉴定?

目的：建立基于电子鼻技术的多基原莪术的鉴定方法。方法以检测器响应值为评价指标,优化样品的检测参数和筛选金属传感器,应用主成分分析和辨别因子分析对特征数据进行多元统计学分析。结果建立了多基原莪术的电子鼻检测法,得到其气味识别指纹图谱。结论基于电子鼻技术的多基原莪术鉴定方法可行,为中药材和中成药的鉴定提供了新思路。     

智能化电子输液卡在优化临床输液治疗中的应用研究

目的探讨护理信息化建设过程中,智能化电子输液卡在优化临床输液治疗中的应用效果。方法通过前期设计及沟通,于2016年6月逐步推进全院电子输液卡的使用。通过随机抽查各病区使用电子输液卡前后(分别抽取2016年5—8月的200份纸质输液卡作为对照组,抽取2016年10月—2017年1月的200份电子输液卡作为观察组)的输液记录质量,并调查患者满意度(电子输液卡使用前后分别调查250例患者)来评价电子输液卡的使用效果。结果使用电子输液卡后,静脉输液过程中的护理差错发生率明显降低,患者满意度有所提高。结论智能化电子输液卡可有效加强静脉输液过程中的质量控制,规范护理行为,提高护理记录质量,有利于节约人力、物力,维护患者权益,提高患者满意度。     

Conocimiento y percepción de la nocividad del cigarrillo electrónico en población adulta de Barcelona

ObjectiveTo describe knowledge of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and their perceived harmfulness in the population of Barcelona in 2013-2014.MethodsWe used participants from a longitudinal study of a representative sample of the adult population in the city of Barcelona (n = 736). The field work was conducted between May 2013 and February 2014.ResultsAwareness of e-cigarette was 79.2%. The average level of knowledge was 4.4 points out of 10; there were statistically significant differences according to age, educational level, tobacco consumption, and nicotine dependence. Most participants had learned about e-cigarettes through traditional media (57.8%). Nearly half (47.2%) of the participants believed that e-cigarettes are less harmful than conventional cigarettes.ConclusionAdvertising of e-cigarettes in the media should be regulated because there is still scarce scientific evidence about the usefulness and harmful effects of these devices.