Date of Award
Spring 2021
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Advisor(s)
Wullianallur “R.P.” Raghupathi
Abstract
Background: The United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other nation and has steadily increased over the past 50 years. Innovation in the field of health information technology such as Electronic Health Records (EHR) has created hope that costs can be reduced through meaningful use of these technologies. The government has even created incentive programs to pay eligible providers and hospitals to adopt, implement and use these technologies. This study examines the effectiveness of these incentive programs in New York state hospitals. Methods: Incentive payment data and hospital cost data was collected from the New York State Department of Health. The study uses descriptive analytics and visualization to examine the relationship between EHR use and healthcare delivery costs. Results: There is no evidence of an inverse relationship between EHR incentive payments and average costs. In fact, costs significantly rose year over year despite the state of New York paying over $400 million in incentives to eligible hospitals. Conclusion: The government as well as providers must figure out better ways to drive down the cost of care. Technology alone cannot accomplish this; perhaps, larger, system-wide change is necessary.
Recommended Citation
“Jack” Steib, John, "Exploring the Correlation Between Electronic Health Record (EHR) Meaningful Use Incentive Payments and Healthcare Cost in New York Hospitals Using Visual Analytics" (2021). Gabelli School of Business Honors Thesis Collection. 50.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/gabelli_thesis/50
