News Briefs: HIPAA is top concern, say hospital IT leaders
Information technology (IT) leaders at health care institutions say their top priorities for the next year are upgrading security to meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements and building systems that promote patient safety and reduce medical errors.
The findings are from the annual IT survey conducted by the Chicago-based Healthcare Informa-tion Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
About 60% of the responses listed compliance with security-related provisions of HIPAA as the greatest concern, while 46% are working on error reduction and patient safety. Forty-two percent planned to upgrade inpatient clinical systems.
The survey also suggested there is sharply increased desire from last year for acquiring enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems that promote efficiency within the hospital. Fifty-eight percent of respondents identified ERP systems as important to their organization over the next couple of years, compared to 11% in 2001.
Deploying Internet technology, on the other hand, while last year’s second highest IT priority, decreased eight points on this year’s survey. The projected importance of Internet technology over the next two years decreased 14 points and reduced demand for Internet-based solutions. Only 38% of respondents identified web applications as important in health care in the next two years, down from 50% in 2001.
"I see a narrowing of focus in health care to initiatives related to quality and cost," says Charles O. Bracken, executive vice president of Superior Consultant Company, which sponsored the survey. "Web strategies are being limited to those emphasizing practical application and positive business impact." t
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