Published on Healthcare IT News (http://www.healthcareitnews.com/)
Higher criteria for meaningful use in Stages 2 and 3 will boost patient outcomes
By Molly Merrill, Associate Editor
Created 09/15/2011
BETHESDA, MD – A new study found that the criteria for hospitals to meet meaningful use of electronic medication order entry for Stage 1 is too low to have a significant impact on hospital mortality rates among Medicare patients.
This is because Stage 1 only requires that providers use electronic orders for at least 30 percent of eligible patients. Authors however, believe that Stages 2 and 3, which will require 60 and 80 percent of patients will be more likely to improve patient outcomes.
The study, published online by Health Affairs, is the first to evaluate the relationship between the meaningful use standards for computerized medication ordering and hospital mortality rates.
The authors assessed the mortality rates of patients within thirty days of being hospitalized for heart attacks, heart failure or pneumonia, obtaining mortality data from the September 2008 release of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare database. They used data on hospital characteristics from the 2007 American Hospital Annual Survey database, analyzing the 4,644 general acute care hospitals in the United States not owned by the federal government. To obtain information about hospitals’ use of electronic medication ordering, the authors relied on the 2007 American Hospital Association Information Technology Supplement.
In comparing mortality rates among hospitals reporting different levels of use for electronic medication order entry, they found a statistically significant relationship with heart attack and heart failure but not with pneumonia. Also, higher levels of use – with more than 50 percent of patients – were more consistently associated with lower mortality for both heart attack and heart failure.
Policy makers are now debating what Stage 2 standards should be and when they should be implemented. This study’s findings indicate that greatly increased use of electronic medication order entry has the potential to reduce mortality in the future.
“Our study may reassure policy makers and other stakeholders that high levels of use of computerized provider order entry and other health information technology have value and may yield tangible health benefits for patients.”
Click here to read the full study.
This is because Stage 1 only requires that providers use electronic orders for at least 30 percent of eligible patients. Authors however, believe that Stages 2 and 3, which will require 60 and 80 percent of patients will be more likely to improve patient outcomes.
The study, published online by Health Affairs, is the first to evaluate the relationship between the meaningful use standards for computerized medication ordering and hospital mortality rates.
The authors assessed the mortality rates of patients within thirty days of being hospitalized for heart attacks, heart failure or pneumonia, obtaining mortality data from the September 2008 release of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare database. They used data on hospital characteristics from the 2007 American Hospital Annual Survey database, analyzing the 4,644 general acute care hospitals in the United States not owned by the federal government. To obtain information about hospitals’ use of electronic medication ordering, the authors relied on the 2007 American Hospital Association Information Technology Supplement.
In comparing mortality rates among hospitals reporting different levels of use for electronic medication order entry, they found a statistically significant relationship with heart attack and heart failure but not with pneumonia. Also, higher levels of use – with more than 50 percent of patients – were more consistently associated with lower mortality for both heart attack and heart failure.
Policy makers are now debating what Stage 2 standards should be and when they should be implemented. This study’s findings indicate that greatly increased use of electronic medication order entry has the potential to reduce mortality in the future.
“Our study may reassure policy makers and other stakeholders that high levels of use of computerized provider order entry and other health information technology have value and may yield tangible health benefits for patients.”
Click here to read the full study.
Links:
[1] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/meaningful-use-criteria-too-high-and-too-many
[2] http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/early/2011/09/12/hlthaff.2011.0245.full
[1] http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/meaningful-use-criteria-too-high-and-too-many
[2] http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/early/2011/09/12/hlthaff.2011.0245.full
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