Health IT Takes Time and Money

Adopting advanced electronic medical records takes longer and costs more than most hospitals imagine, warn hospital IT executives who have already trod that path.

IT operating expenses spike by 80 percent during the transition to an EMR system, chief information officers of 15 major U.S. hospital systems told researchers from Accenture, a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Looking ahead, finding IT personnel who are qualified to handle the installation and implementation of the sophisticated technology will be tough, the CIOs predict -- and hospitals will have to ante up plenty of cash to attract top IT talent.

Those are among the findings in a new report, "Secrets of Success on the EMR Journey to Meaningful Use: Leading Hospital CIOs Reveal Key Lessons Learned," released Thursday by Accenture. The company predicts that nearly half of all U.S. hospitals could have trouble meeting federal EMR "meaningful use" requirements by 2015, potentially endangering millions of dollars in Medicaid and Medicare incentives.

"From strategic planning, staff and adoption, health systems are integrating technology at a previously unprecedented level, but many health systems are lagging and at risk of facing penalties," says Mark Knickrehm, global managing director of Accenture's health practice.

The six "key insights" gleaned from the CIO interviews are:

1. EMR planning and implementation must be a strategic initiative, not an IT initiative.

2. It takes longer and costs more than most anticipate.

3. IT operating costs will spike, and managing them requires leadership alignment and patience.

4. The war for health IT talent is on.

5. Supporting EMR means thinking differently about capability and operating model needs. (A 45 percent increase in the number of IT support personnel is typical.)

6. Creating a culture for adoption is essential, with physicians being the key stakeholders whose support is needed.