Advancing Health Information Technology Maturity in Nursing Homes for Value-Based Care

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Long-Term Care Technology
• Value-Based Healthcare

Background:

• Existing health information technology (HIT) models require updates to meet evolving healthcare demands.
• Nursing homes need frameworks to align with value-based care (VBC) initiatives.
• The transition to VBC necessitates advanced HIT capabilities in long-term care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To update and refine an existing health information technology maturity and staging model for nursing homes.
• To ensure the model supports alignment with value-based care objectives.
• To provide a framework for assessing and enhancing HIT in nursing homes for future readiness.

Main Methods:

• A five-round Delphi process involving 22 national long-term care HIT experts was conducted from November 2023 to July 2024.
• Experts reviewed and refined a validated model comprising 183 items across 27 content areas.
• Consensus-based revisions led to a streamlined model with 142 items across 21 content areas, organized into four domains.

Main Results:

• The revised model features 142 items across 21 content areas, categorized into resident care, nursing care, clinical support, and administrative activities.
• A significant majority of items (86%) were classified at Stage 4 or higher.
• This indicates a strong readiness for bi-directional data exchange and resident-centered data utilization.

Conclusions:

• The updated model offers an expert-informed, policy-relevant framework for nursing home HIT development.
• It guides nursing homes in preparing for value-based care by 2030.
• The revised model promotes enhanced data exchange and resident-centered care through improved HIT maturity.