HIMSS Analytics: Integration lags at many facilities

Use of defibrillators, physiologic monitors, electrocardiographs, vital signs monitors and other medical devices is widespread among 825 U.S. hospitals providing data on medical device utilization. However, only a third of these hospitals are integrating data from such devices with their EMR, according to a HIMSS Analytics whitepaper released this week.

The whitepaper, titled "Medical Devices Landscape: Current and Future Adoption, Integration with EMRs, and Connectivity," found that intelligent medical device hubs and physiologic monitors are most likely to be interfaced to an EMR. At most hospitals, the sole method of connectivity between EMRs and devices was through a WLAN connection.

“While a number of organizations are using wireless connectivity in conjunction with wired LAN connectivity, only 8 percent of respondents reported that their hospital relies solely on wireless connections,” stated the whitepaper, which was sponsored by LANTronix.

Potential growth in key devices areas, such as interactive infusion pumps, fetal monitors and infant incubators, along with the limited number of hospitals presently interfacing devices and EMRs, suggest “tremendous potential” for healthcare organizations to connect their existing devices to their EMRs, the whitepaper found.

The ability to automatically chart data from the device directly to the EMR is a primary reason for creating the interface, according to organizations that do interface devices to the EMR. They cited potential benefits including a reduction of medical errors, improved workflow for clinicians and additional data analytics opportunities.

The whitepaper can be accessed here.