Research Shows Digital Maturity Linked to Better Quality and Safety in U.S. Hospitals

U.S. hospitals with advanced digital maturity tend to have better quality and safety outcomes for patients than hospitals with underdeveloped digital maturity, according to new research conducted by HIMSS Chief Scientific Research Officer Dr. Anne Snowdon, HIMSS Chief Products Officer Reid Oakes and others. 

The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, found statistically significantly reduced infection rates, reduced adverse events and improved surgical safety outcomes in hospitals with advanced maturity — meaning hospitals with high degrees of digital capability, information infrastructure and health data exchange.

“Digital maturing is not really about the EHR," Snowdon said in a recent interview about her research with Healthcare Finance News. "It's about the EHR and the degree to which an organization has made that EHR integrate seamlessly with the other software systems.” 

The 1,026 U.S. hospitals analyzed in the study were each scored from 0-7 on the Electronic Medical Record Assessment Model (EMRAM), which is a HIMSS maturity model that measures digital maturity dimensions such as capacity for health information exchange, clinician adoption of digital tools, data privacy and security and governance. The hospitals also received hospital safety letter grades and quality and safety scores on a continuous scale published by The Leapfrog Group.  

Researchers analyzed and explored the relationships among The Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Grades, individual Leapfrog safety scores, and digital maturity levels classified as advanced or fully developed digital maturity (EMRAM Stages 6 and 7) or underdeveloped maturity (EMRAM Stage 0).  

Controlling for variables in hospital characteristics such as teaching status, location, number of beds, whether the hospital was a referral center and hospital ownership as confounding variables, advanced digital maturity was a significant predictor of The Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Grades. 

Results showed the odds of achieving a higher Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety Grade was statistically significantly higher, by 3.25 times, for hospitals with advanced digital maturity (EMRAM stages 6 or 7). 

The findings underscore the important role of digital health transformation. As hospitals face increasing pressure to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, digital maturity can give hospitals a strategic advantage. The study provides evidence that digital tools, when properly implemented, can lead to tangible improvements in healthcare delivery. 

“When digital maturity is at a very basic level, data from these critical information systems cannot be readily accessed or mobilized, and significant limitations in the flow of quality and safety data result in lack of data-informed strategies and decision-making needed to advance quality, safety, and performance outcomes more generally,” according to the study.