While there seems to be a multitude of support for implementing health information technology, it appears that funding is sidestepping the rural communities and heading straight for healthcare providers in more densely populated areas.
A recent report titled “Progress and Challenges: Implementation and Use of Health Information Technology Among Critical-Access Hospitals,” outlines the issues that healthcare providers in rural areas face. The report looks at electronic health record (EHR) adoption, challenges in EHR adoption, teleradiology and telehealth. Last year, according to the report, nearly 90 percent of the critical access hospitals surveyed had partial or fully implemented EHR, but adoption of the most important EHR capabilities had varying degrees of success. If hospital data is going to reach the experts who need to see it to make decisions regarding the treatment of a patient, something needs to be done to ensure these rural facilities are connected just as thoroughly as the larger facilities.
Obviously, the rural care facilities with more resources in the IT department were better able to implement their EHR components without major issues. Unfortunately, many rural care facilities lack resources, including personnel and money, to successfully implement their EHR solutions. The report, which is published at http://www.healthaffairs.org/, says that it is “important to ensure that the necessary resources and support are available to critical-access hospitals, especially those that operate independently, to assist them in adopting health IT and becoming able to electronically link to the broader health care system.”
Some of the early adopters of EHR technology have an advantage over the facilities that didn’t get into the game until the Meaningful Use requirements began to take effect. The process required buy-in across departments because anything less could spell the collapse of an implementation effort. From IT to the CFO to the director of nursing, the planning for a robust EHR needs to include all levels of personnel from every department. For instance, D.W. McMillan, a small hospital in Alabama, took the approach in 2012 and has had success. They formed a steering committee to guide the process along.
The challenge rural facilities face in Stage 2 of Meaningful Use is related to radiology, which the report touches on. Radiologists will be required to provide a full report to patients within 24 hours of an examination/scan. The report has to be provided electronically, which means the EHR has to be set up to offer this capability.
Offsite Image Management, Inc., is a company that knows what the rural facilities struggle with because we’re made up of people who have worked with and in critical care hospitals our entire careers. We have built our solutions to work around your needs. We know that your patients deserve the same treatment that those in the big cities receive and our solutions offer exactly that. Contact us today and see how our quality, yet cost-effective solutions work in your favor to keep you in compliance with Meaningful Use requirements.