healthsystemCIO.com SnapSurvey: CIOs Confident Vendors Will Deliver

Almost 80 percent of CIOs feel their strategic vendors will be up to the challenge of helping them qualify for Stage 1 Meaningful Use incentives, according to the September healthsystemCIO.com Advisory Panel SnapSurvey.  And in what will come as welcome news to those at ONC crafting EMR certification policy, 60 percent said any software upgrades on the horizon are not being done solely to satisfy that component of Meaningful Use. Delving deeper into the certification issue, the majority of respondents said they were not pursuing EHR site certification, which should reduce the burden on ONC-ATCBs, such as CCHIT, the Drummond Group and InfoGard.

(SnapSurveys are answered by the healthsystemCIO.com Advisory Panel. To see a full-size version of all charts, click here. To go directly to a full-size version of any individual chart, click on that chart)

Reporting Quality Metrics

• We have had one vendor tell us that we must buy a service from them to report on the quality metrics at $200/physician/year. This is in addition to using their certified products (both EMR and analytics database). This has us concerned. Certification should not depend on purchasing an ongoing service to use a certified product….
• We do or will capture/document all the data elements to meet MU. Our concern is being able to retrieve/report directly from the EMR database.
• The nature of data collection must change in order to meet this expectation.

A Little Bit of Everything

• Certification, only in that it is not under our direct control. Meaningful Use, in that we must get buy-in from clinicians. I’m concerned about the sheer number and type of issues to address.
• The requirements are still too vague.
• Concerned for two reasons; will our vendors have the correct tools and will CMS/States have the correct tools?

Other

• Reporting from the EMR
• Vendor readiness

We’re Good

• We may just be better positioned because of our CPOE and data warehouse so, other than the one last upgrade we need to complete and all the “odds and ends” we need to tie up, I’m not too concerned with MUS1.

Upgrading Due to HITECH

• Virtually all our vendors have planned an additional release, or modified their normal release schedule to be ready for meaningful use.

Upgrading a Little Faster Due to HITECH

• We were planning an upgrade based on required functionality.
• The upgrade timeline is accelerated due to HITECH; however, we’d have to do them sooner or later.
• No surprise here.
• Only forced to do in a time frame that might not be ideal.
• We tend to upgrade our EMR often, and I would describe us as a fast follower.
• But at a much faster pace and also with many required infrastructure upgrades.
• We are always current, what will change is our choice related to timing.

They Are Ready to Help

• We feel confident and do not expect any surprises.

We’ll See

• We are all set to go on meaningful use stage 1 but are waiting on Meditech to release 5.64 of their magic software to be able to apply for our $$$$’s
• Too bad you don’t have a “we’ll see” selection button.
• So long as they manage the queues of clients, we should be fine.
• I pray my rosary for this intention:)
• Just not sure which products will require certification. Who will require site certification…seems like everyone.
• They seem to be on top of it. I’m concerned that the smaller facilities will not have the captial resources to make the investment and that the vendor may not look at them in the same light as the larger facilities, due to the great revenue that the larger facilities represent.

They Are Swamped

• No – this will represent a significant lift for most vendors

Not Yet, Not Sure

• However, Will Weider’s comments make me want to perhaps reconsider.
• Not yet – I’m awaiting clarity re: what related ancillary apps may be included in the necessary certification. My team is still researching this, and I have a few emails out to ONC colleagues.
• “At this Point” we don’t plan on requesting a site survey; however, it might be in our future.

A Mixed Bag

• We’ll use a data warehouse.
• Undecided at this time.
• Enhance workflows to capture up-front.
• We’re still evaluating.
• A little of all them.
• Not sure yet, we have several options.