Survey finds Virginia to be leader in health IT

Published February 1, 2013 by Robert Powell, III

Virginia has established national leadership in telehealth initiatives, according to a survey by the Herndon-based Center for Innovative Technology (CIT).

CIT’s 2012 Health Information Technology Assessment survey finds improving broadband speeds across the commonwealth and an increase percentage of physicians are adopting electronic health records .

The survey was completed in partnership with Broad Axe Technology Partners and in conjunction with the state secretaries of Health and Human Resources and Technology.

Key findings from the survey show 54 percent of Virginia hospitals implementing telehealth services. The national average is 42 percent.

The percentage of Virginia-based physicians who have adopted an electronic health record (HER) system has grown by 17 percent during the last year.

While officials find the increase encouraging, the commonwealth’s rank among U.S. states has dropped due to the greater improvement in the national physician EHR adoption rate of 26 percent.

The survey also identifies gaps in broadband access, trend data related to how gaps are closing and how health IT initiatives are being developed in Virginia. It also identifies changes in broadband connectivity across health care provider segments.

The survey also generates new data used to populate the commonwealth’s Broadband Map for healthcare facilities and providers, and classifies progress in adoption of key health IT capabilities across the commonwealth, such as electronic health records, health information exchange) and telehealth services.