EHR Study Finds Healthcare Leaders Plan to Adopt Enhancing Technologies to Improve Clinician Satisfaction
Speech recognition, mobility and computer-assisted physician documentation tools are top three investments to
optimize EHRs
HIMSS--Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced the findings of a new study revealing that a majority of healthcare leaders plan to use additional technologies and tools to
realize the full intended benefits of electronic health records (EHRs) and to improve clinician satisfaction with using them. The
study also concluded that the improved clinical documentation resulting from EHRs and related technologies will drive positive
financial impact for their institutions, including appropriate reimbursement and increased patient flow.
The EHR and Clinical Documentation Effectiveness Study, conducted by HIMSS Analytics, was designed to understand the adoption
and optimization of EHRs and supporting tools used by clinicians, as well as opportunities for improvement at hospitals and
healthcare systems.
“Just as fracking revolutionized and disrupted the petroleum industry by unlocking untapped resources, innovations such as
computer-assisted physician documentation, natural language processing, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning will do
the same by tapping into medical data and deriving more value for the healthcare industry,” said John S. Lee, MD, CMIO, Edward
Elmhurst Hospital. “Once this data is discretely available, it then is only a matter of ingenuity and creativity to use it at the
point of care.”
The study revealed that the majority of respondents (83%) have confidence that their organization will realize the full benefits
of EHRs, most notably their intended purpose of providing improved care coordination and outcomes. Today, organizations are
investing heavily in resources to support EHR use and documentation of patient information. Three quarters have added training and
support resources, and two-thirds have increased staff in at least one IT area since moving to an EHR.
Notable findings include:
-
Addressing clinician satisfaction in three key ways – Healthcare institutions today acknowledge that it’s critical to
find ways to save clinicians time and improve their satisfaction. This ultimately can improve work/life balance, and support
retention and recruitment among clinicians. A majority of respondents identified three primary ways healthcare institutions are
working today to improve clinician satisfaction around EHR use:
- 82% provide clinician training and education
- 75% enhance existing technology and tools
- 68% adopt new technology and tools
-
Plans to introduce EHR-enhancing technologies in 2017 – While arming clinicians with technology at the point of care is
not pervasive today, approximately one quarter of respondents plan to introduce enhancing technologies at the point of care to
optimize EHR use. This will help clinicians more fully document the patient story, improve satisfaction and reduce physician
burnout, ultimately resulting in improved patient flows and better financial outcomes. The top enhancing technologies planned
for use in 2017 are:
- Mobility tools – 44%
- Computer-assisted physician documentation (CAPD) – 38%
- Speech recognition – 25%
-
More complete patient records drive financial impact – Hospitals realize that more accurate and complete clinical
documentation of patient encounters not only impacts patient safety, care delivery and outcomes, but also has a significant
impact on finances for the institution.
Two-thirds of respondents indicated that improved clinical documentation that results in capturing appropriate data for
reimbursement will have the largest financial impact for their organizations. Other areas that would benefit from improved
documentation include:
- Reduction in denied claims – 54%
- Improved performance under bundled payments – 52%
- Reduced re-admissions – 38%
- Better physician time management that improves patient flow – 38%
“Technology is an important part of the healthcare experience today, but physicians need to interact with technology in ways
that are more seamless and less obtrusive in order to keep their attention focused on the patient. The right technology, working to
complement EHRs can accomplish this, and our clients are reporting major improvements in clinician satisfaction, quality, and
financial outcomes,” said Brenda Hodge, senior vice president of healthcare marketing, Nuance. “In fact, we have doubled the number
of organizations using our cloud-based platform, Dragon® Medical One, in less than a year because it gives clinicians
freedom to document when and where they want.”
For more information:
A new whitepaper, “All In: Moving from EHR Adoption to Optimization,” with additional information about the study can be found
here, and you can download an infographic highlighting the study results or view the study findings.
Study Methodology
The EHR and Clinical Documentation Effectiveness Study conducted by HIMSS Analytics was commissioned by Nuance. The web-based
survey was fielded from August 17 to September 6, 2016, with 167 respondents from 142 different healthcare organizations. Forty
percent of respondents hold C-suite titles, with another 40 percent in IT leadership roles.
About Nuance Communications, Inc.
Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers
around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way
people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven
applications. For more information, please visit www.nuance.com.
Trademark reference: Nuance and the Nuance logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its
affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective
owners.
Nuance Communications, Inc.
Ann Joyal, 781-565-4155
ann.joyal@nuance.com
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