The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has introduced a metric called the HIMSS Value Score in an effort to quantify the value of health IT and help healthcare providers measure the impact of their health IT infrastructure.
In a press release, HIMSS said the Value Score program is the first international IT quality measurement for the value of health IT and positioned it as an outgrowth of the of HIMSS Value Suite and HIMSS Analytics’ Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM).
The HIMSS Value Score is designed to help healthcare providers improve care efficiency as well as clinical and financial performance through healthcare technology.
"With the move towards value-based care, the international healthcare community can now look beyond initial adoption and toward a broader, all-encompassing way to measure the clinical and financial value of health IT," Stephen Lieber, president and CEO of HIMSS, said in a statement. "The Value Score is a combination of HIMSS' core competencies and is the natural next step in the continual evolution towards better care and outcomes for patients and providers."
The Value Score is the next generation of several HIMSS-developed standards and resources. HIMSS Analytics' EMRAM has helped hospitals and clinical practices track and benchmark their electronic medical record (EMR) adoption and utilization goals since 2005. The HIMSS Health IT Value Suite and Value STEPS, released in 2013, have provided both a framework and vocabulary for providers to articulate their value strategy and features more than 900 detailed case studies offering strategies and measures used to document value.
HIMSS developed the guidelines for the Value Score and is currently refining the scoring algorithm according to high-performing providers, including HIMSS Davies Award winners and small critical access hospitals. This initial pilot group will help to develop actionable data sets and scores to be used as the Value Score is introduced into the industry, the organization said.
The Value Score will be based on key performance indicators that represent four levels of health IT value:
There is a baseline value assesses health IT adoption and the inherent value derived from having advanced HIT capabilities, such as those measured by the EMRAM score.
Perceived value will gauge how an organization understands the value and potential of IT.
Recognized value evaluates an organization achieves demonstrable outcomes against accepted performance indicators, such as clinical, financial, operational and personal.
And lastly, the score will measure the innovative value of health IT within an organization by using key performance indicators to evaluate how advanced IT adoption is driving better outcomes and progress in the industry.
