Electronic health record systems have not dramatically reduced administrative costs in U.S. hospitals, according to a Harvard University study published today in the American Journal of Medicine, Reuters reports.
For the study, researchers examined 4,000 hospitals that achieved various EHR implementation levels between 2003 and 2007. The study used data from the 2008 Dartmouth Health Atlas, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, and Medicare.
Questionable Cost Savings
Researchers found that hospital administrative costs increased slightly from 24.4% in 2003 to 24.9% in 2007 (Heavey, Reuters, 11/20).
The study did not find evidence that implementing EHRs significantly lowered hospitals' costs.
In addition, researchers noted that some hospitals saw administrative expenses rise after EHR adoption, likely because of EHR installation, maintenance and staff costs. The study also found that many of those costs remained high even several years after EHR implementation (Pfeiffer, "WBUR News," WBUR, 11/20).
Researchers noted that hospitals with the fastest EHR adoption rates saw the biggest jump in administrative costs. They also found that smaller, for-profit urban hospitals tended to have the highest overall administrative costs.
Some EHR Benefits
According to the study, EHRs might have contributed to modest improvements in tracking care quality for heart attack patients (Reuters, 11/20).
Researchers noted that Veterans Administration hospitals effectively leverage EHR systems to improve quality and reduce diagnostic test duplication. However, they also noted that VA hospitals are an exception because they operate differently from most other U.S. medical centers (Clark, HealthLeaders Media, 11/20).
Implications
The researchers concluded that health IT systems have yet to reach their expected potential because most electronic health systems focus on codes and billing rather than physician workflow and patient care (Reuters, 11/20).
Karen Bell, senior vice president of health IT for MassPro, said the researchers might not have measured the effects of EHR implementation over a long enough time frame. Bell said it often takes several years to properly install, understand and use EHRs effectively.
The Harvard study comes less than a week after the publication of another study finding that EHR implementation leads to only marginal improvements in the cost and quality of health care (HealthLeaders Media, 11/20).