Dear AuntMinnie Member,
A pair of new research studies offers sharply contrasting views of the costs and benefits of healthcare information technology, according to articles we're featuring this week in our Healthcare IT Digital Community.
In one study, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston analyzed the use of electronic health records (EHRs) in U.S. hospitals and found no evidence that they significantly improved efficiency or quality. In analyzing data from thousands of hospitals, they found no relationship between EHR usage and several measures of efficiency and clinical outcomes, according to a story you can read by clicking here.
On the other side of the coin, another group of researchers from Massachusetts examined the case of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which was an early adopter of healthcare IT 20 years ago with the implementation of its Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA).
The group found that the VA has saved more than $3 billion over the life of the VistA project, and it's currently saving nearly $700 million annually. What's more, the VA has produced better quality measures than private-sector facilities for at least one clinical condition the authors analyzed: diabetes treatment. Learn more by clicking here.
The conflicting studies highlight the conundrum facing many healthcare providers as they struggle to take advantage of U.S. stimulus dollars for healthcare IT -- and, in particular, whether they can demonstrate "meaningful use" from HIT investment.
Speech recognition saves money in Spain
Meanwhile, Spanish researchers have contributed a study that indicates that one radiology-centric HIT application -- speech recognition -- produced major benefits in terms of report turnaround times.
They analyzed their institution's experience in speech recognition and reporting and compared it to the status quo prior to speech recognition implementation, drawing on a database of more than 140,000 radiology reports. Their conclusion? Speech recognition dramatically cut report turnaround times, while also saving money. Find out how they did it by clicking here.
Get these stories and more news about the world of healthcare IT at healthcareit.auntminnie.com.
