The Impact of Professional Certifications on Healthcare Information Technology Use

This study examines the effects of professional certifications such as JCAHO on healthcare information technology (HIT) usage in healthcare organizations and user satisfaction with such usage. Using survey data collected from healthcare administrators in a nation-wide sample of 347 hospitals and long-term care facilities, we provide evidence that professional certifications do indeed enhance HIT usage and user satisfaction, at least within specialized user groups such as healthcare administrators. We further demonstrate that this increase in HIT usage due to professional certifications increases with facility size and is more prominent for larger hospitals than for smaller long-term care facilities, though the same cannot be said of user satisfaction. Our study suggests that professional certifications can be used as a valuable tool for motivating HIT usage, while also drawing attention to an under-examined area of HIT research.