96 Percent Of Healthcare Providers Say Their Infrastructure Is Not Fully Prepared To Leverage Cloud, Big Data, Mobile, Social To Optimize Their EMR

Survey indicates healthcare providers plan to enhance security, improve application performance, and invest in cloud 

Alexandria, Va., October 13, 2014 – MeriTalk, a public-private partnership focused on improving the outcomes of health and government IT, today announced the results of its new study, “FutureCare:  Cloud, Big Data, Mobile, and Social Optimize the EMR.”  The report, sponsored by EMC Corporation, explores how FutureCare-enabling technologies (cloud, Big Data, mobile, and social) are driving profound change and how deployment of these tools can help optimize Electronic Medical Records (EMR) for improved patient care coordination.  The report reveals that while many providers have implemented or plan to implement these technologies in the next two years, 96 percent of healthcare organizations say their infrastructure is not fully prepared for the evolution of their EMR today.

Health IT leaders have started to adopt FutureCare-enabling technologies.  Two-thirds of healthcare providers run EMR applications in the cloud, with the majority currently using private cloud models (49 percent), followed by hybrid and public clouds (35 percent).  Healthcare providers are also using Big Data and analytics in conjunction with their EMR with 50 percent saying Big Data is helping them to reduce readmissions and track and evaluate patient outcomes more effectively.  Providers are also using Big Data to conduct cost/benefit analysis to reduce project risk (46 percent), manage clinical and IT staffing levels (38 percent), and prescribe preventative care (24 percent).

Mobile and social technologies are also starting to make an impact on healthcare providers.  Fifty-seven percent of health IT leaders say mobile has become an important tool in viewing real-time patient information as caregivers work toward making more informed patient care decisions.  Additional mobile use cases include clinical notifications (46 percent), ePrescribing (41 percent), and patient communication and reminders (38 percent).  Fifty-four percent of organizations are also using social in conjunction with their EMR to facilitate secure collaboration; 52 percent are communicating with patients and sending medication/follow up reminders; and 31 percent are collecting data from wearable technology.

Cloud, Big Data, mobile, and social technologies impact business and clinical workflows by improving data access, enhancing patient care, and reducing costs.  To reap these benefits, health IT leaders expect 2015 IT spending to increase for all four areas – cloud, Big Data, mobile, and social.  As a result of FutureCare technology investments, U.S. hospitals expect to save billions in annual IT spending.  By 2016, healthcare providers anticipate:

  • Big Data can help them save 21 percent of their annual IT budget, or $7.2B
  • Cloud can help them save 20 percent of their annual IT budget, or $6.9B
  • Mobile can help them save 16 percent of their annual IT budget, or $5.5B
  • Social can help them save 11 percent of their annual IT budget, or $3.8B

Working within their IT budget constraints, healthcare providers will prioritize areas of focus based on hospital and Integrated Delivery Network (IDN) deployment status and goals.

When asked how prepared their infrastructure is for the evolution of the EMR, just four percent of respondents stated that they are already prepared – 96 percent have more work to do.  To optimize the EMR and ensure the infrastructure can support further growth, health IT leaders say they will enhance security systems (47 percent), improve application performance (38 percent), invest in cloud solutions (31 percent), and modernize backup and recovery solutions (31 percent).

“It’s clear that cloud, Big Data, mobile, and social technologies can positively impact patient care delivery, population health, and achieve improved levels of fiscal efficiency,” says David DeAngelis, healthcare general manager, EMC Corporation.  “EMC is committed to enabling healthcare providers to build a trusted hybrid cloud infrastructure as the foundation for FutureCare technologies and improve patient care diagnosis and treatment.”

“Accurate diagnosis is the first step on the journey to a cure,” said Steve O’Keeffe, founder, MeriTalk.  “The healthcare industry needs to change its IT diet to ensure better healthcare outcomes for America.”

The MeriTalk study is based on an online survey of 151 hospital IT decision makers, conducted in August 2014.   The report has a margin of error of 7.95 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

Download the “FutureCare:  Cloud, Big Data, Mobile, and Social Optimize the EMR” infographic today at:  www.meritalk.com/futurecare.

About MeriTalk

MeriTalk is an online community and go-to resource for government and healthcare IT issues – www.meritalk.com.  MeriTalk hosts a series of Exchange communities in Big Data, cloud computing, data center consolidation, mobility, and cyber security.  In addition, MeriTalk develops research studies, manages events, builds applications, and routinely testifies on the Hill on IT and workforce issues.

   

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