Study: EMRs have limits in affecting costs, quality

BOSTON – A national study of hospitals using electronic medical records has found little effect on patient mortality, surgical complications, length of stay and costs, suggesting that much greater attention needs to be paid to how EMRs are implemented and used.
The study, led by researchers at the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital and published in the April issue of Health Affairs, is the first to examine the effects of electronic systems in a nationally representative group of hospitals.
The study looked at almost 3,000 hospitals’ responses to a 2008 survey that asked detailed questions about EMR use, plus data on quality and efficiency. In most categories, the impact was negligible or nonexistent, the study found.
“Simply having the technology available is probably not going to be enough,” said Catherine DesRoches, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, who led the study. “Hospitals will need to effectively integrate new systems into their current practices.” &#8226