Hospitals' use of electronic health records systems can lead to lower mortality rates for certain conditions, but the technology does not save hospitals money or reduce patient complications, according to a study published in the journal Health Services Research, the Arizona Republic reports.
For the study, researchers at the Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business examined 326 California hospitals over 10 years (Alltucker, Arizona Republic, 5/2).
The researchers used financial and nurse-sensitive patient outcomes data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, as well as data about hospital IT systems availability and contract dates from HIMSS Analytics.
The study found that health IT implementation was associated with 6% to 10% higher costs per discharge in medical-surgical acute care units.
In addition, less-advanced EHR adoption -- stage 2 on the HIMSS Analytics EHR adoption model -- was associated with 15% to 26% higher registered nurse hours per day and lower licensed vocational nurse costs by 2% to 4%, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Stage 3 EHR adoption was associated with 3% to 4% lower hospital mortality rates for certain conditions, the study found (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 4/30).
According to the study, hospitals with more advanced EHR implementations experienced better results, leading researchers to conclude that cost savings could improve at hospitals over time (ASU release, 5/1).