Survey: Providers look to health IT to mitigate reimbursement cuts
A recent poll of healthcare providers by consulting firm IVANS indicated that they plan to make better use of health IT in an effort to curtail potential cutbacks from Medicare funding.

The survey, “Healthcare Provider Opinions on Reform, Technology and Proposed Medicare Cuts,” reported that 30.5 percent of respondents indicated that they would make better use of technology to help offset the impact of proposed Medicare payment cuts on their business.

Following the Congressional Budget Office’s accounting of cost reductions contained within the U.S. Senate Finance Committee’s proposed healthcare bill, the Stamford, Conn.-based firm received more than 200 healthcare provider respondents in an online study concerning healthcare professionals' opinions on healthcare reform, including the role of technology in their practice and the proposed Medicare cutbacks.

According to IVANS, a recent report by Thomson Reuters indicated that the U.S. healthcare system wastes approximately $700 billion annually, pointing to administrative inefficiency and redundant paperwork for as much as 18 percent of this waste.

IVANS concluded that short-term tactics, such as switching from dial-up systems to wireless systems, can better prepare businesses for the future.

The survey found that:
  • 21.4 percent of respondents said they will provide additional and new training for staff members; and
  • 21.1 percent said they would not do anything to prepare their practice/staff to offset cuts for reasons that are not fully clear.
Trimed Popup
Trimed Popup