The vast majority of long-term care providers do not use electronic health records in sophisticated enough ways to enable true interoperability or allow them to participate in health information exchanges. But most do employ EHRs in a useful way, new survey results reveal.

Most aging service providers are improving patient outcomes due to advanced use of EHRs, the 10th annual LeadingAge CAST survey shows. It reflects findings using the CAST 7-Stage EHR Adoption Model, which benchmarks the level of sophistication of EHR use in senior care and living. 

Most organizations now have systems in place that lead to improved care quality, involve multiple care team members and integrate with other systems to provide basic information exchange.

The survey gauges operators’ involvement in defined stages, numbered 1 to 7. The lowest level indicates basic but still non-clinical use of information while the higher levels bring in physician and other systems’ involvement.

The more complex end of the spectrum has seen noticeable growth, said Scott Code, vice president of the Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST). 

“The steady progress in stages 4 through 6 reflects continued investment and maturity in how EHR systems are used. However, the relatively small percentage at Stage 7 signals that true interoperability remains a work in progress for most providers — highlighting both a challenge and an opportunity for the field,” he said. 

In a report about last year’s survey results, Code wrote about providers’ “stagnation.”

This year’s results showed that nearly 63% of provider organizations are in stages 4, 5 or 6. A little under 9% have achieved Stage 7.

Code said that the issues affecting providers’ ability to achieve true interoperability are complex. They range from funding, to staffing and other organizational issues.

In comments sent to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on June 8 regarding the fiscal year Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule, the association told regulators greater governmental help is needed.

“Improving interoperability presents an enormous administrative burden and financial strain that nursing homes simply cannot absorb alone,” LeadingAge told CMS. “Nursing homes and other aging services providers were left out of and unable to benefit from federal incentives under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 that other healthcare providers were able to utilize to advance EHR technology.”

Survey findings and methodology were similar to last year’s. Results based on responses from EHR vendors who were asked to give the percentage of clients at each stage of adoption using the CAST 7-Stage EHR Adoption Model. 

To help providers select quality EHRs, CAST recently updated and expanded its EHR Technology Selection Tool. It also has updated its Health Information Exchange (HIE) Selection Tool, to faster, safer exchange of protected health information and improve patient care.