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. 2010 Jul-Aug;17(4):389-95.
doi: 10.1136/jamia.2010.005504.

Use of health information technology in home health and hospice agencies: United States, 2007

Helaine E Resnick  1 , Majd Alwan
Affiliations

Use of health information technology in home health and hospice agencies: United States, 2007

Helaine E Resnick et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2010 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Objective: This report provides updated estimates on use of electronic medical records (EMRs) in US home health and hospice (HHH) agencies, describes utilization of EMR functionalities, and presents novel data on telemedicine and point of care documentation (PoCD) in this setting.

Design: Nationally representative, cross-sectional survey of US HHH agencies conducted in 2007.

Measurements: Data on agency characteristics, current use of EMR systems as well as use of telemedicine and PoCD were collected.

Results: In 2007, 43% of US HHH agencies reported use of an EMR system. Patient demographics (40%) and clinical notes (34%) were the most commonly used EMR functions among US HHH agencies. Only 20% of agencies with EMR systems had health information sharing functionality and about half of them used it. Telemedicine was used by 21% of all HHH agencies, with most (87%) of these offering home health services. Among home health agencies using telemedicine, greater than 90% used telephone monitoring and about two-thirds used non-video monitoring. Nearly 29% of HHH agencies reported using electronic PoCD systems, most often for Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data capture (79%). Relative to for-profit HHH agencies, non-profit agencies used considerably more EMR (70% vs 28%, p<0.001) and PoCD (63% vs 9%, p<0.001).

Conclusions: Between 2000 and 2007, there was a 33% increase in use of EMR among HHH agencies in the US. In 2007, use of EMR and PoCD technologies in non-profit agencies was significantly higher than for-profit ones. Finally, HHH agencies generally tended to use available EMR functionalities, including health information sharing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Use of electronic medical records systems* in home health and hospice care agencies, United States, 2000 and 2007.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Use and functionality of electronic medical records systems in home health and hospice care agencies, United States, 2007.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Current telemedicine capabilities among home health agencies using telemedicine*, United States, 2007.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Point of care documentation, by function and agency type, among home health and hospice agencies using these systems, United States, 2007.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Relationship between selected agency characteristics and current use of technology among home health and hospice care agencies, United States, 2007.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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