![]() Specifically, 62% (approximately 822 of 1,332) of CAHs and 77% (approximately 293 of 383) of small, rural hospitals (those generally with fewer than 50 staffed beds) had attested to Meaningful Use of EHRs, according to Susan Brown, health IT director at Telligen, the West Des Moines, Iowa-based company that administers Iowa’s REC. As of July 31, 2013, 65% of CAHs and small, rural hospitals in Iowa had achieved Meaningful Use. Iowa’s hospitals, however, were implementing systems at a quicker pace than the national average, as 86% of the hospitals that signed up with the REC attested to Stage 1. Only 18% of the 1,164 CAHs in the country had attested to Meaningful Use, even though the majority of them were enrolled in a REC program to aid them with EHR adoption. By comparison, 73% of larger hospitals had received EHR incentive program payments according to a data brief from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC Data Brief, 2012). Even with additional help available through programs such as the government’s Regional Extension Centers (RECs), many small hospitals are struggling to put together the financial and human resources necessary to bring EHRs to fruition.Ĭonsider the following: As of September 2012, critical access hospitals were falling behind the pack considerably in terms of EHR adoption. The difficulties associated with EHR implementation at small hospitals became even more obvious as the government’s Meaningful Use program was rolled out across the country in 2009. The problem, however, was that EHR adoption was, indeed, a daunting challenge for a small healthcare organization such as Myrtue. ![]() As a result, strategic planning focused on implementing such a system. Even though the government’s electronic health records (EHR) incentive program had not yet been unveiled back in 2007, Myrtue’s Quality Improvement Team recognized the value of electronic health records that included advanced functionality such as computerized provider order entry. ![]() ![]() the quality improvement team had been contemplating how information technology could help the hospital deliver improved care to its patients. This advice, coming from the 30th president of the United States, seems especially appropriate for rural and critical access hospitals looking to leverage information technology in their organizations to improve clinical care.Īt Myrtue Medical Center (MMC), a 25-bed critical access hospital (CAH) in Harlan, Iowa. “ We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.” ~Calvin Coolidge ![]()
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