2011 HIMSS Clinical Transformation Survey

By Lauren Simpson

Rising healthcare costs along with societal trends are calling for a dramatic shift in the way healthcare is delivered. The 2011 HIMSS Clinical Transformation Survey looked at the readiness of organizations to improve the way they provide care, focusing on making data-driven decisions to control costs and improve outcomes.

The results of the survey were not surprising:

• Close to 50% of respondents are currently focused on ensuring the implementation of an EHR while only 12% have started using clinical systems to link quality measures and outcomes
• Respondents were most likely to report that data not being captured in discrete data fields was a barrier to progress
• More than 40% of respondents still rely on manual processes to analyze data

These findings are on par with what we’ve been seeing with some of our clients – although clinical transformation is a priority and many organizations have teams and policies in place to facilitate the work, easy-to-access, current data that can inform clinical transformation efforts is a bit harder to come by. ARRA initiatives like Meaningful Use are helping to motivate some of the changes that will help providers with their data-related pains, and we anticipate that in the near future many organizations will be able to move beyond EHR implementation and start to focus on using that data in continuous improvement efforts that will enhance the care being provided.