Provide names of other journalists involved.
Matthew Weinstock, Suzanna Hoppszallern
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
July
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Health care providers are racing to deploy health information technology as they try to capture Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments. But achieving so-called meaningful use isn’t necessarily an easy task. Hospitals are struggling to automate certain practices. In this report on our annual Most Wired survey — where we assess how hospitals are adopting IT — we found that many are making steady progress in deploying new information systems, but are struggling with some key meaningful use requirements.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Our survey collects pretty comprehensive data from hospitals. For the 2011, 530 hospitals and health systems completed the survey, representing 1,388 hospitals, or 24 percent of the field.
Explain types of human sources used.
We interviewed top executives at some of the leading-edge hospitals.
Results:
The story and survey received considerable attention from other media outlets.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
None.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Survey stories, especially those based on annual surveys, can be tough. You need to find new and interesting information each year. Study the data to find trends, be sure to put the survey results into perspective. For Most Wired, it’s not just about adopting IT or meaningful use necessarily, but how are hospitals using IT in the grand scheme of their operations?