Organizational Factors Associated with Health Information Technology Adoption and Utilization among Home Health / Hospice Agencies

Background: Health Information Technology (HIT) has been seen to improve care coordination and promote patient safety. One area of interest, when describing the coordination of care, is home health, as it acts as a transitional form of care. The purpose of this study is to: 1) identify the EMR adoption rate among a sample of Home Health / Hospice facilities in a national survey, and 2) to determine what organizational factors are associated with EMR adoption. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed 1,036 facilities from the 2007 National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There were two dependent variables used in this study: use of an EMR system and use of point-of-care technology. All differences were tested using Wald Chi Square Tests. Multivariate ordinary least squares logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the organizational characteristics that were significantly associated with the outcomes of EMR and point-of-care technology use. Results: Home health agencies and agencies that provide both home health and hospice services and that are non-profit and are significantly more likely to use an EMR system, as compared to hospice only facilities. Home Health, hospice, and mixed agencies with not-for-profit status had higher percentages of point-of-care technology usage, as compared to for profit agencies. Conclusion: After controlling for various organizational and spatial factors, not-for-profit ownership status and the number of patients were significantly associated with using an EMR system and point-of-care technologies within home health and hospice agencies.