160219 Health maintenance organization (HMO) penetration change the relationship between physicians' perception and physicians' use of health information technology (HIT)

Monday, November 5, 2007

Jong-Deuk Baek, PHD , Health Services Policy and Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Janice C. Probst, PhD , University of South Carolina, South Carolina Rural Health Research Center, Columbia, SC
Carleen H. Stoskopf, ScD , Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA
Yunho Jeon, PHD , School of Public Health, Health Services Policy and Management, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
Background: Studies found that physicians' perception is the most important determinant of physicians' HIT use. Less research is conducted on the impact of HMO penetration that is an influence of health care system on physicians' information technology use.

Objective: To explore the adjusted effect of HMO penetration on physicians' HIT use and to explore the effect of HMO penetration on the relationship between physicians' perception and their HIT use.

Methods: This study utilized secondary data sets: 1) 2000-2001 Community Tracking Study Physician Survey; 2) 1998-1999 CTS Physicians Survey; and 3)2000-2001 CTS Household Survey. For physicians' HIT use, seven variables were measured and two components were created based on a principal component analysis. As for the physicians' perception, a summated variable that measures physicians' perceived HIT effectiveness was created. HMO penetration rate was calculated based on the 2000-2001 CTS Household Survey. Age, gender, income, race, specialty, practice type, practice ownership, communication with providers, and adequate time spent with patients were used as control variables. A multiple regression with SUDAAN was used.

Results: The effect of perceived effectiveness for the communication component(beta=0.20, t=4.89)and for the patient care component(beta=0.17, t=3.32)was statistically significant. The effect of HMO penetration significantly changed the effect of the perception on physicians' HIT use for communication (beta=0.0024, t=2.38).

Discussion/Conclusion: Physicians' perceptions play a critical role in HIT use and the effect gets stronger as HMO penetration grows. Interventions should consider health care system factors to be effective in promoting physicians' use of HIT.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this presentation, the participant will be able to understand 1) how physicians’ perception of HIT effectiveness is associated with their HIT use after controlling for socio-demographic characteristics; 2) how HMO penetration systematically changes the effect of physicians’ perception on their HIT use; and 3) how an effective intervention that meets individual and local peculiarities could be designed by considering socio-demographic characteristics of physicians and HMO penetration rate.

Keywords: Health Information Systems, HMOs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: HIIT Posters
See more of: Health Informatics Information Technology