Hospital execs forecast higher IT spending
Admissions will shift significantly from the inpatient to the outpatient setting in 2013 as providers transition to new care delivery models, says a Premier healthcare alliance survey. It also indicates that hospitals will make their biggest capital investments this year in information technology.
In its spring 2013 Economic Outlook, Premier reports that 65% of the 530 survey respondents—mainly hospital C-suite executives and materials and practice area managers—are projecting a decrease in inpatient volume in 2013 compared to 2012.
Accordingly, 69 percent of respondents are projecting an increase in 2013 outpatient volume compared to 2012.
"As these survey results suggest, more care is being shifted to outpatient care sites that are less intensive and expensive, but with lower reimbursement rates," says Premier COO Mike Alkire. "In other words, health systems are adjusting to reimbursement cuts and lower inpatient volumes, while they have a foot in both camps managing the financial transition away from fee-for-service to accountable, pay-for-performance models."