Organizational Factors Associated with Health Information Technology Adoption and Utilization Among Home Health / Hospice Agencies

Health information technology (HIT) adoption has been recommended as a method to improve care coordination and promote patient safety. Home health agencies can use HIT to improve coordination of care provided in multiple locations. The purposes of this study are: 1) to determine the EMR adoption rate and use of point of care technology among a US sample of 1,036 home health/hospice facilities, and 2) to identify the organizational factors associated with EMR adoption. Analyses were performed using SAS and SAS-callable SUDAAN. The study found that not-for-profit agencies, regardless of services offered, were more likely to have an EMR system. Use of point of care documentation was associated with not-for-profit status, large patient panels, and having been in business for less than 10 years. This study extends population ecology theory into innovation adoption theories by explaining possible competitive advantages of EMR adoption within home health care.