Seventy-one percent of surveyed U.S. hospitals plan to purchase new health information exchange technology, according to a report by health IT vendor research firm CapSite, Healthcare IT News reports.
The findings show a slight decline from last year's report, which found that 74% of U.S. hospitals plan to purchase new data exchange tools.
For the report -- titled, "2012 U.S. Health Information Exchange Study" -- CapSite polled representatives of more than 370 U.S. hospitals.
Of the surveyed hospitals planning to purchase new health data exchange technology, 25% said they plan to buy such tools within seven months to one year.
The report also found that 50% of surveyed U.S. hospitals have joined a private, state or regional health information exchange. In last year's report, only one-third of surveyed U.S. hospitals said they had joined such an exchange.
Gino Johnson -- CapSite senior vice president and general manager -- said the adoption of health data exchange technology is expected to accelerate over the next two years as health care providers work to achieve Stage 2 of the meaningful use program.
Under the 2009 federal economic stimulus package, health care providers who demonstrate meaningful use of certified electronic health record systems can qualify for Medicaid and Medicare incentive payments (McCann, Healthcare IT News, 9/14).