Statistics show that in the year 2010 more than two-thirds of hospitals in the US applied a document management solution. Almost half of all the hospitals used electronic forms for these solutions. There was an increase of 6% and 8% respectively from the previous year. This shows that more hospitals are moving towards the electronic forms management. Those hospitals that are not automated have plans to purchase the software. Those that already have the electronic system are engaged in replacing and updating current software. First time buyers of the technology are however more than those who have already installed the software. It is only 1,579 hospitals, which is 30% that do not use any of the application software. Most of the hospitals prefer the same vendor for the technologies possibly because of the brand name, brand loyalty, and service quality.
The assessment from available statistics indicates that moving into the future hospitals will be adopting the use electronic forms management. One major reason for this is because they are reliable. Every hospital would not want to be left behind because it will reach a point such forms management would determine the services given to patients and other stakeholders. The electronic system can be more trusted for its accuracy and affinity to make the work easier for healthcare providers. This resource is very helpful for any healthcare organization because it can allow a patient to be treated even from home. All the data regarding the patient can easily be accessed by both the patient and medical personnel. Furthermore, a patient can be able to interact with a doctor using the system without necessarily having to go to the hospital. This platform can be used to integrate all the systems which will help reduce the likelihood of medical errors occurring.
Reference
HIMSS Analytics. (2011). Hospital Document/ Electronic Forms Management Applications 2010 Year End Report. Retrieved from HIMSS Analytics TM Database (U.S. Edition) website: http://apps.himss.org/foundation/docs/marketOverviews/2011MODMEFFinal.pdf
