CPOE and bar coding are hottest techs - CIO Survey - computer-based practitioner order entry

Health Management Technology, April, 2003

More than half of healthcare CIOs and IT executives rank patient safety as the top IT priority for their organizations in 2003, outpacing even HIPAA security and privacy requirements for attention this year, according to the leadership survey released at the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS) conference in February.

The 14th annual HIMSS study, sponsored by Superior Consultant Co., showed that IT executives expected to rapidly pursue technology to help them reduce medical errors at a rate of 52 percent within the next year and 59 percent within the next two years. Even more respondents--64 percent-cited computer-based practitioner order entry (CPOE) as the most important software application to be pursued in the next two years, and 63 percent identified patient safety as the business issue that will have the most impact on healthcare in the next two years.

Other software applications on the two-year fast track include clinical information systems (53 percent) and bar coded medication management (46 percent). Bar code systems also ranked high when IT execs explained what technologies they "would like to implement" in the next two years; 72 percent put bar code systems on the wish list--a seemingly aggressive mark, considering 70 percent said bar code systems were already in use in their facilities.

Use of computerized patient records (CPRs) climbed by 46 percent in the past year, after no growth from 2001 to 2002, the survey indicates. Now, CPR systems are fully operational in 19 percent of provider facilities. Still, just as many facilities--20 percent--have not yet begun planning for CPR systems.

Other survey highlights: 23 percent of respondents cite lack of financial support as the biggest barrier to implementing IT at healthcare organizations, and 39 percent said their organizations would give patients more online access to medical records in the next two years, even though only 2 percent currently do so. For complete results, visit www.rsleads.com/304ht-212.>

COPYRIGHT 2003 Nelson Publishing

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group