Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to complete the Annual Study?
The time to complete the Study is specific to each hospital. Factors that may influence the time it takes to complete the study include: a hospital’s current level of participation, the size of the hospital or health system, and the number of staff changes and IT implementations that have taken place within the hospital over the past year.
We know your time is limited. Our experienced Market Research Associates make the process as efficient as possible by preparing your organization in advance, identifying key areas where year-over-year change has taken place, and focusing on the questions critical to generating a quality EMRAMSM score.
How is the data used?
The gathered data is used to create a realistic portrait of the health IT landscape – how hospitals are making the transition to paperless and what types of vendors and products they are using to get there. The data acts as the source for provider benchmarking reports, HIMSS Analytics’ annual Essentials of the U.S. Hospital IT Market Report and Annual Report, and enables us to offer the highest caliber of custom research and consulting. In addition, technology companies may purchase a subscription to the HIMSS Analytics® Database.
How can hospitals submit or update their data?
We offer several convenient ways for providers to submit or update their data—via an online portal, via phone, vial Excel, or through any combination of the three. Whichever way you choose to provide your data, our Market Research Associates will work closely with you to ensure the most efficient and accurate data input experience.
Who is the primary contact for a hospital?
While this can change from hospital to hospital, the primary contact is generally someone in the CIO position or working closely with them. However, we encourage hospitals to enlist members from other departments when filling out the study as this makes the process faster and more accurate. HIMSS Analytics’ Market Research Associates will also work closely with these associates to help them fill out their section of the study.
How long does it take to get reports after the data is submitted?
After the study is closed, the data is submitted to our quality team and then published. Within 1 – 2 weeks, the hospital is notified via email that their benefits are available and they are given a login to the online portal.
I think my EMRAM score changed. How do I get it updated?
Providers can reach out to their Market Research Associate, who will be happy to update information in an effort to see a new EMRAM score.
How often does a hospital have to submit data?
Providers are asked to update their information on a yearly schedule, annual to the first time the data was provided.
Why should I participate in the Study?
The quality of the information in the database that is used to provide your EMR Adoption Model score, benchmarking and other insights depends on the breadth and depth of the data we collect. The more accurate our data, the greater the benefit of our complimentary perks to your organization.
In addition to your EMR Adoption Model score, some of the free benefits we offer include:
- Benchmarking Reports - Includes 47 hospital level reports comparing your organization's operations to peers based on IT budget, staffing and service levels
- Market Overview Reports - Information on the primary software vendors and their penetration rates across functional areas. You may also select up to four of these in addition to the benchmarking reports
- HIMSS Online Buyer's Guide - A comprehensive searchable database connecting you with a wide range of healthcare IT products and services.
- Annual Report of the U.S. Hospital IT Market - Examines the state of the U.S. hospital information technology market, including hospital budgets as well as financial, technology, clinical and ancillary department IT environments.
