Who's Ready Now ... ???

My colleague and friend Yancey Casey in media relations at McKesson had a very clever idea, which he executed at the HFMA-ANI Conference this week. Visitors to the McKesson booth were given the opportunity to complete a brief, nine-question survey on their preparedness for a whole bunch of different issues in the industry. I found some of the results a bit surprising, to say the least. To begin with, 42 percent of respondents said their organizations had created a healthcare reform team (a higher percentage than I would have expected, at this point in time); and perhaps also somewhat surprisingly (given how other surveys have found organizations to be so far behind on the issue), 65 percent said their organizations had a ICD-10 plan in place. One more somewhat surprising result: 59 percent said their organizations understood the impact of reduced reimbursement (though this result could well have reflected a bit of overconfidence in that area, methinks). Neither surprising nor unsurprising was the result that found that 51 percent said their organizations could support medical home models and accountable care organizations. And unsurprising was the result that found that 52 percent don't believe their current HIS can operate effectively in the post-reform environment. Meanwhile, 39 percent of survey respondents were planning to replace their current HIS within 1-3 years; 27 percent within 4-6 years; and 34 percent in seven or more years' time. Obviously, a quick poll like this can only provide a flashbulb-like snapshot of developments out in the field. And it's quite possible that some survey respondents were overestimating their preparedness for some of the tough issues ahead. Still, snapshots can provide interesting insights into where the industry is at any particular moment. And while the respondents to this survey were, obviously, healthcare finance executives, those executives are certainly going to be major players, like their CIO peers, in shaping strategy for their organizations going forward. It would be interesting to learn what the results of this survey might be next year at this same time, if it were repeated. Thanks much, Yancey, for the data and insights!