Assessing health information technology (HIT) capabilities among publicly funded family planning agencies

Publicly funded family planning providers provide critically important sexual and reproductive health services to millions of poor and low-income women each year. Given recent developments around health care reform, it is likely that in order to continue to provide quality, affordable care, these providers will need to implement a variety of new Health Information Technologies (HIT), including use of Electronic Health Records (EHR). However, little is known about the current HIT capabilities and experiences of family planning providers, including their ability to be able to access the funds and incentives available through the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act). To remedy this information gap, we are conducting an assessment of the actual and planned HIT capabilities and anticipated barriers among a nationally representative sample of 950 publicly funded family planning agencies. The sample is stratified by agency type, Title X status, and metropolitan/non-metropolitan location. Fieldwork began in December 2010 and will be completed in March 2011. Our presentation will include key findings regarding family planning agencies' current HIT use and plans for future use, their eligibility for financial incentives, and their actual and anticipated receipt of financial support for HIT. We will also address reported challenges and barriers to HIT implementation and assess training and technical assistance needs. Comparisons will be made among agencies according to facility type, Title X status and metropolitan location. Finally, our assessment will provide program and policy recommendations for facilitating implementation of HIT solutions among publicly funded family planning agencies.