According to two studies conducted by CSC (Falls Church, Va.) and sponsored by Boston-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA), the success of Massachusetts hospitals and physicians to incorporate IT into healthcare demonstrates the importance of incentives in adoption.
The studies, “Adoption of Advanced Clinical Systems in Massachusetts Hospitals” and “Adoption of Electronic Health Record Capabilities in Massachusetts Physician Practices,” examine the progress Massachusetts hospitals and physician practices have made in implementing advanced clinical IT systems. The reports provide analysis of areas where the state leads the nation and identifies next steps toward improving patient care through electronic access to information.
According to the reports, adoption of CPOE among hospitals in Massachusetts is nearly double the national average, and the use of e-prescribing is the highest in the nation. The studies show these statistics are the direct result of incentives.
The second study examined physicians’ use of basic and advanced EHR capabilities.
