Times are changing: Home health now more open to HIT

Normally it’s been observed that home health agencies do not welcome Health Information Technology (HIT) and Healthcare IT strategy. Even though paperless home health agencies may seem like something out of a sci-fi novel, a new report shows that more agencies are now turning to technology to perform and track patient services.

According to the National Association for Home Care and Hospices , more than 65 percent of all agencies now use electronic health records and 40 percent use point of service systems in the field.

The study was conducted by NAHC and its co-sponsors conducted the study to gauge how often agencies put technology to use in order to deliver quality service and to help agencies gear up for pending health care reform . Marcia Reissig, chair of study co-sponsor Hospital Home Care Association of America, explained, “Researchers also hoped to identify best practices in home care to allow all home health care providers to realize efficiencies and quality of care to the country’s most vulnerable seniors.”

Val Halamandaris, NAHC president said, “Health care reform is already happening in home care.”

He predicted that with the use of modern technologies, patient-centered outcome measures, and evidence-based best practices, home care is uniquely positioned to effectively meet the needs of a growing senior population.

According to the findings of the Blackberry study:

Handheld devices account for more than 6 percent of the hardware aides use most

Close to 40 percent of agencies seeking new hardware state that they want handheld devices

23 percent of agencies report success with their tele-health efforts.