Healthcare Financial News

To support consumer engagement and improved quality in health care, the National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed guidelines for consumer-focused, Internet-based public reporting. These guidelines will assist report sponsors to present information about hospital quality in an evidence-based and consumer-friendly format that can be used to make informed decisions about health care. 

For the most part, public reports have been difficult to understand and use, have not adequately communicated what quality of care is, and have not convinced consumers to pay attention to quality. Evidence suggests that healthcare quality reports and public report cards that contain conflicting information and are poorly constructed may hinder consumers’ ability to use the information presented and may lead to decisions inconsistent with their goals. This highlights the need to identify effective public reporting strategies to help change these outcomes.

The seven endorsed guidelines are intended for use by organizations that sponsor and publish public reports such as federal and state governments, consumer organizations, hospital accrediting organizations, business coalitions, and hospital associations.  The guidelines are intended to be used for reporting quality performance of U.S. hospitals, but can be adapted for consumer public reporting of care in other settings. For descriptions of the guidelines, read the full NQF press release.

Market growth of electronic medical record (EMR) implementations in ambulatory healthcare settings, such as private medical practices or specialty clinics, continues at a slow but steady pace, according to results from the Ambulatory Healthcare IT Survey, conducted by the Healthcare Information and Management System Society (HIMSS) and HIMSS Analytics. The 2008 survey collected information about key technology use in the ambulatory market, such as EMRs and e-prescribing.

Approximately one-third of respondents noted that functional components of an EMR are in place at their organization. While some respondents mentioned use of specific EMR software brands at their organizations, the research clearly suggests that no dominant market leader exists, and instead, many software vendors are players in this market.

“The survey results show some purchasing hesitation among physicians who don’t yet have an EMR,” said Mike Davis, executive vice president of HIMSS Analytics. “We found that cost continues to be a significant barrier to technology implementation, despite the benefits of improved patient care and fewer medical errors attributed to the EMR.”