Patient safety is top IT priority for 2003 - Industry Watch - Brief Article

Healthcare Financial Management, April, 2003

Patient safety tops the list of priorities for healthcare information technology (IT) executives, according to the results of the 14th Annual Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Leadership Survey, released this month. Fifty-two percent of survey respondents said that implementing technology to reduce medical errors and promote patient safety is currently their top IT priority, up from 46 percent last year. Also, 59 percent indicated that this issue would be a top priority in the next two years, and 63 percent believe it is one of the top five business issues that will affect health care the most in the next two years.

Improving security on IT systems to meet HIPAA requirements fell to second place-HIPAA was the top concern in last year's survey. Forty-seven percent of respondents reported that their facilities are currently upgrading security on their systems, and 46 percent noted that they are implementing privacy modifications. Most senior IT executives continue to report that their budgets will increase in the next 12 months. Fifty-six percent expect to increase their staff in the next 12 months, compared with 47 percent in last year's survey.

To read the report, sponsored by Superior Consultant Company, Inc., go to www.himss.org/2003survey/ASP/healthcarecio.final.asp.>

COPYRIGHT 2003 Healthcare Financial Management Association

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