The dialogue on healthcare reform has focused on patients, but one company sees the issue from a totally different perspective. ReymannGroup recently surveyed healthcare providers nationwide to determine their technological readiness to implement healthcare changes.
ReymannGroup, in conjunction with CREDANT Technologies, has released "Healthcare: State-of-Readiness for HITECH and EHR (Electronic Health Records)," the report based on the survey results. The report is timely, as the stimulus package President Obama signed in February includes the HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act, calling for implementation by 2011 of a national network to share electronic health records.
ReymannGroup evaluated a checklist of information technology considerations among the surveyed organizations for:
- Security and encryption
- Broadband capacity
- Storage of records
Paul Reymann, CEO of ReymannGroup and co-author of the GLBA Data Security Rule, said a key finding is that while many of the respondents are already processing electronic health records, less than half share those records or plan to do so within the next year. In addition, while most consider the need for increased storage as a priority, only about half are evaluating their current broadband and mobile device capabilities.
In general, healthcare organizations realize they must start preparing for compliance with the HITECH Act to receive financial incentives in 2011 through 2014, avoid discounted reimbursements after 2014, and work with an increasingly mobile network of clinicians.