LeadingAge’s Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST) is releasing a white paper and selection matrix for senior living providers looking to implement an electronic health record (EHR) system.
These tools are an expansion of the portfolio of free tools that CAST released last year to help long-term and post-acute care organizations plan for and identify EHR products that meet their needs.
The whitepaper outlines the detailed steps of planning, assessing and selecting an EHR system and defines the major components that these products offer. The update includes added sections on decision support systems, interoperability standards and health information exchange.
Also included in the whitepaper is a checklist of assessments to ensure the strategic planning of rolling out EHR technology aligns with the mission or goals of a provider. These include assessing one’s IT infrastructure, staff competency to identify training needs down the road, as well as the readiness of an organization in general.
The selection matrix catalogs more than 200 major functionalities in 36 long-term and post-acute care organization EHR products, up from 22 in 2012, according to Majd Alwan, Ph.D, LeadingAge senior vice president for technology and executive director of CAST.
“EHR is a key, enabling technology for the future,” Alwan told SHN. “Having an EHR helps providers offer more accurate, timely documentation, and using the advanced features of this technology helps them increase efficiency and improve the quality of care for their residents.”
Now in its second year, the updated portfolio of CAST tools aim to allow LeadingAge members to meet the leadership required of pioneering technology solutions, according to Larry Minnix, president and CEO of LeadingAge.
“In an age where providers are looking to meet greater demand on a tighter budget, EHR’s are a great example of how technology is improving quality while reducing costs.”
As of April 2013, about $14.6 billion in meaningful use had been distributed to various healthcare professionals as incentive for EHR development, according to Robert Anthony, deputy director of the HIT Initiative Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of E-Health Standards and Services.
Written by Jason Oliva
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