The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), representing more than 20,000 individual members - of which 73% work in provider settings - and 350 corporate members, today announced its support for the health information technology (IT) provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan of 2009 proposed by Congress. HIMSS believes the inclusion of funding for health IT is essential if we are to meet President Obama’s goal of computerized health records for all Americans by 2014.

HIMSS cites three reasons to support the investment in health IT:

1. The economy will benefit from an investment in health IT

According to research by IBM and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, investing $10 billion in Electronic Health Records (EHR) and other health-related IT projects would create 212,000 jobs.

Furthermore, multiple independent studies have shown substantial return on investment for health IT, which could help lower healthcare costs.

• Deloitte LLP reported this month that investing in e-prescribing and electronic medical records, along with better coordination of patient care through primary-care doctors, would result in 10-year savings of $530 billion.
• The RAND Corporation reported in a 2005 study that widespread health IT adoption (90 percent of hospitals and physicians) could save $77 billion annually. In testimony presented before the Senate Finance Committee on July 17, 2008, RAND forecast that during the 15-year adoption period, cumulative net savings would be about $510 billion or approximately $34 billion per year.
• The Center for Information Technology Leadership estimated in a 2005 study that full implementation of health IT could yield annual savings of $77.8 billion.

2. Patients will benefit from an investment in health IT

When used properly, EHR systems can help keep patients safe by alerting clinicians to harmful drug interactions or allergic reactions to prescribed medicines and helping clinicians manage the health of patients with complex chronic conditions.

Evidence of improvements in patient health associated with IT has been shown:

• The Jan. 26, 2009, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine includes a study by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine that found a 15 percent reduction in patient mortality rates during hospitalization at centers that use computers instead of paper.
• A 2002 study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association suggests that health IT could reduce the average length of a hospital by reducing delays associated with certain hospital functions and by avoiding costly errors.

3. Doctors will benefit from an investment in health IT

While many physicians realize the positive impact successful EHR implementation can have on a practice, the Congressional Budget Office reported in May, 2008, that as of 2006, only 12 percent of physicians and 11 percent of hospitals have adopted all or most recommended health IT functionalities. Survey results published in the July 3, 2008, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine found that 66 percent of doctors who have not adopted an EHR system cited cost as the biggest barrier to adoption.

In the 2008 study, the vast majority of physicians who have adopted an EHR system are satisfied with the product: 93 percent of physicians who use fully functioning EHR systems reported being generally satisfied with the systems. The same survey results showed that 82 percent of physicians who had fully functional EHR systems reported positive effects of the system on the quality of clinical decisions.

An added benefit for physicians could be lower malpractice insurance costs. The Congressional Budget Office reports that multiple physician liability insurance firms offer discounts to practices that have adopted EHR systems.

“The state of the economy and the healthcare system warrant a significant investment in health IT, especially in light of President Obama’s calls to computerize all health records within five years,” said H. Stephen Lieber, HIMSS president and CEO. “We support the health IT legislation that has been recently introduced and believe it will allow the industry to take important steps toward delivering better quality healthcare more efficiently and at a lower cost.”

In December 2008, HIMSS released A Call for Action: Enabling Healthcare Reform Using Information Technology, outlining specific priorities and recommendations for the Obama Administration and 111th Congress in regards to health IT. The recommendations were developed by more than 100 HIMSS member volunteers and represented necessary measures to develop and sustain a robust health IT infrastructure. The report is available online at www.himss.org/2009calltoaction.

For more information, visit www.himss.org.

About HIMSS

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry’s membership organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. Founded in 1961 with offices in Chicago, Washington D.C., Brussels, Singapore, and other locations across the United States and the globe, HIMSS represents more than 20,000 individual members and over 350 corporate members that collectively represent organizations employing millions of people. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare public policy and industry practices through its advocacy, educational and professional development initiatives designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to ensuring quality patient care.

Contact(s):

Joyce Lofstrom

312-915-9237