Health information technology (HIT) in small and medium sized physician practices: examination of impacts and HIT maturity

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Steven A. Wallace (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Lakshmi Iyer

Abstract: Small and medium sized physician practices (SMPP) are medical practices that consist of a staff of less than 10 physicians. Nearly 60% of the US physicians work in SMPP and face more barriers to HIT adoption and implementation than their larger counterparts. The dissertation is on the use and impact of Health Information Technology (HIT) on SMPP. The dissertation will also explore the effects of IT maturity on health care organizations’ abilities to impact outcomes. It will examine how SMPP have grown through the use of IT and how this has impacted the organization’s use of HIT. While previous work has observed some organizational impacts of HIT, they have only studied a single phenomenon that had been impacted and not how the organization as a whole is impacted. While researchers have found that organizations with higher IT maturity tend to show better operational and financial performance, very little prior studies have shown the impact of HIT maturity on SMPP. The dissertation’s goal is to answer the following questions: 1. How does HIT usage influence the organizational impacts on Small and Medium Sized Physician Practices? 2. How does the SMPP’s HIT maturity influence these impacts? To answer these questions, the dissertation used a framework derived from DeLone and McLean’s (1992, 2003) IS Success Model and the IT Value Hierarchy (Urwiler & Frolick, 2008). The dissertation employed a multiple case study approach by collecting and analyzing data from various members of five different SMPP. The dissertation found that the process of HIT documentation had a major influence on the SMPP. While it has a positive impact on the patient’s Quality of Care, it has a negative impact on Productivity and User Satisfaction. While prior HIT research found that communication was a final outcome of HIT use, this dissertation found that communication is a mitigating factor influencing organizational impacts.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2015
Keywords
Communication, HIT Impact, IS Maturity, Small Physician Practice
Subjects
Medical informatics $z North Carolina
Medical offices $z North Carolina
Health services administration $z North Carolina
Small business $z North Carolina

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