HIT Stimulus: Driving Improvements in Health Care Delivery in America

The Obama Administration and Congress have taken an important step toward improving America’s healthcare delivery system with the healthcare information technology (HIT) provisions included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Funding, in the form of modified Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates, aims to incent hospitals to implement and adopt electronic health records (EHRs) and unite a lifetime of health information that travels with the patient and is used by caregivers anywhere, anytime.

Achieving maximum results where patients and hospitals need it most

Picis, a leading HIT provider since 1994, focuses entirely on the high-acuity care areas of hospitals: the emergency department (ED), the operating room (OR) and the intensive care unit (ICU). These areas typically consume as much as 60% of hospital resources, and can drive as much as 70% of revenues for a U.S. hospital, having a significant impact on the success or failure of an organization. These high-impact areas of the hospital demand the highest priority for information technology, in part, because of their impact on driving costs, revenues and quality outcomes. The aging population increasingly seeks and receives care in these high-acuity care areas, a trend expected to surpass 80% of all hospital costs and revenues in the next 10 years as baby boomers continue to age.

Shaping "meaningful use": Picis at the forefront

Demonstrating "meaningful use" of HIT is key to hospitals' reaping the rewards of federal stimulus funding. During this process, Picis executives are helping to influence the development and refinement of regulations by actively participating in Administrative and Congressional groups who are driving the ARRA HITECH discussions, as well as delivering thoughtful comments on definitions that will ultimately shape policy and strategy.
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