Patient engagement, care quality top the list of IT drivers: HIMSS survey

Patient engagement, satisfaction and quality of care will have a major impact on healthcare providers' information technology investments over the next two years, according to a survey of IT leaders released at last week's Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference and exhibition.

In the survey, conducted among more than 300 IT professionals in early 2015, 72 percent of respondents said the three goals would affect their IT decisions in a significant way. In addition, 81 percent said health IT is considered a “highly strategic tool” in their organizations, while 74 percent said it was a critical tool for improving care coordination.

As to achieving the goals of Triple Aim—an approach to optimizing health system performance laid out by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement—68 percent said they’ve seen improvements within the patient health experience; 53 percent felt IT was reducing the cost of healthcare; and 51 percent said it was improving population health.

“This year’s survey showed that more than one-third of participants report that their organization was able to demonstrate improvement in all three areas covered in the Triple Aim as a result of their IT use,” said John H. Daniels, vice president, strategic relations for HIMSS, in a press release. “These numbers are critical as they prove the continued progress healthcare is making as IT integrates with value-based care strategies and the growing influence of the patient in health encounters.”